Angel On Our Side
by SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: Part 2 in the "Seven Archangels" series. Following the revelation of Spencer as an archangel, Jophiel, this is a set of stories through season 6 of Criminal Minds. It's a sort of 'between' story that bridges the last one and the next
1. Who is Jophiel?

_Following the revelation of Spencer as an archangel, Jophiel, this is a set of stories through season 6 of Criminal Minds. It's a sort of 'between' story that bridges the last one and the next._

 _This is a short chapter, not an episode yet. It's just the group of them talking, asking about him, his past, who Jophiel is because not a lot of people know about the seven archangels. Everyone always knows the four. So this is a small, short, explanation sort of chapter that picks up directly after the last story, as the team is on their way back home on the jet._

 _Please keep in mind, a lot of what they talk about here with religion is what the team has researched online, or in books. This is NOT meant to be an accurate description of anything religious, nor is it intended to offend. Not only do I not know in depth religious information, this is also part of the SPN world and as they've proved in their show, they don't always follow the exact mythology of anything. I hope I don't offend anyone with this and if I do, you have my apologies_

* * *

The ride back on the jet was just as awkward as Spencer had thought it would be. He'd known that everyone would be feeling out of sorts and uncomfortable. All of this was new for them and it was a lot to take in. Plus, he knew it didn't sit well with any of them that they had to follow the lie Spencer had created by wiping the minds of the police officers and pretend that they hadn't been there at that house when everything went down. They had to pretend not to know what s going on as the cops talked about finding the Unsub dead, with his eyes burned out. That wasn't exactly a common way to find someone and it brought up questions. But the serial case was done and so the BAU team had been thanked and sent on their way.

They'd been in the air for about twenty minutes now and Spencer was contemplating what to do with his friends. Well, really, he was contemplating much more than that, but dealing with the team seemed the easiest. Much easier than thinking about the return of his grace, or how it'd been taken from him to begin with. Much easier than thinking about the longing to go home, or the knowledge that he might not be welcome by all there. Much, much easier than thinking about what he could feel in the world around him—the presence of a brother that should still be locked away. That was something to think on later; much later, when he was alone.

For now, he turned to look at his friends where they all sat together, and he thought for just a moment more before he pushed up from his seat. All eyes turned towards him as he made his way towards them.

The team hadn't been the least bit shy about sitting together like this once they got on the jet. Emily, JJ, Derek and Rossi were sitting at the four chairs that surrounded the small table and Aaron was at his usual perch on the wooden thing against the opposite wall. Spencer walked right up to them and sat down on the end of the couch closest to them. They were all quiet as they looked at him and Spencer tried not to let that hurt. Right now they didn't trust him. Much as he hated that, he had to accept it and try his best to fix it. "I know you guys have questions." He said, looking from one face to the next. "And I know you're still upset. I want to fix this with you, really, I do. I'll answer anything that I can."

He wasn't sure what questions they'd have for him. Back at the hotel, he'd given them the rundown of the supernatural world. That hadn't been fun. All the questions, the shock, the upset. However, they'd taken that part surprisingly well in the end. Then again, maybe not so surprising. Most of them had to have seen some strange things over the years at the BAU. Bodies that didn't always make sense. Spencer had memories in this human life of things that he hadn't been able to make sense of; things that, now he understood much better. Plus, it had to be kind of hard to deny the existence of anything supernatural when you'd just witnessed one of your teammates turning back into an angel.

Emily was the one to speak up first. "You said your name was Jophiel?"

"Yes." Spencer nodded. He brushed a bit of hair behind his ear and smiled just a little. "You can still call me Spencer, though. I've had a lot of names over the years and that one feels just as much a part of me as Jophiel does."

"What I've heard of Jophiel…most believe she was female."

Spencer couldn't help but smile a little at Emily's words. What an interesting part of things to focus on first. He shrugged one shoulder at her; this part was easy. "Technically, angels are genderless. But I've taken a female vessel in the past."

"A vessel?" Aaron asked him.

Now, this was a part that might not go over so well, and he hadn't really thought about that when he'd mentioned taking a female vessel. But it was too late to go back on that and maybe it was better anyways to get this out in the open now so that they could adjust to it. Especially here, in a place none of them could run away. Spencer was grateful this flight was a long one. It should give them time to get everything out in the open. "I explained to you guys before how that light you saw was my grace. That's what makes up an angel. Up in Heaven, it's our True Form. We don't have physical bodies the way that humans do. And humans aren't made to look upon an angel's true form."

"Yeah, we all saw what happens then." Derek said flatly.

The words had Spencer wanting to flinch. He held back, though, and met Derek's gaze with a confidence that he'd never shown before to his friends. "Exactly. Very few humans can withstand looking at an angel directly, let alone an archangel, or of hearing our True Voices. So if we want to come down to earth and speak with humans, we have to take a vessel. Regular angels, as you'd think of them, can have any host, though some are better suited to them than others. But archangels have True Vessels, humans who are suited to containing a grace as strong as ours. However, unlike demons who can possess anyone, angels have to have permission. The host has to say Yes."

That idea seemed to stun them even more. "People actually give permission to be possessed?" JJ asked incredulously.

Spencer nodded. "Yes. A long time ago, most would've considered it an honor. The woman I mentioned was happy to have me not just once, but twice." Unlike some of his brethren, he'd taken great care with his vessel and made sure to leave behind no damage.

"So, you're, what, possessing the real Spencer Reid?" Dave asked.

"No, no!" Spencer hurried to assure them. "I was forced to fall. That means all but a small shred of my grace was cut away from me and locked away," He fought not to shudder, not to let his voice waver there at the memories and the _pain_. "And what was left hurtled down to earth. The body I'm in, it was the body I was born in. When an angel Falls the way that I did, we're born as humans with just that sliver of grace working as our soul, the difference unnoticeable to anyone who doesn't know how to look right. My grace was drawn to the bloodlines that were made to carry me anyways, to the family of humans that carry my True Vessel, and I ended up being born to Diana and William. This body is mine. A vessel now, yes, and one that I can leave, but there's no soul in here waiting to take over. Without me in it, it wouldn't be alive, not really. It'd be like a coma patient, one of those ones that have already passed on. Just an empty shell."

That didn't exactly have the reassuring effect that he'd wanted. In more than one mind he could see how he'd creeped them out just now. To try and distract from it, he turned his eyes back to Emily and smiled a little at her. "I'm surprised you actually recognize my name. Not many people nowadays would, I believe. I've never been an extremely well known archangel like some of my brothers." Most people when they thought of archangels thought of the most famous ones—Michael, Raphael, Gabriel. Lucifer.

"I took religious studies in college." Emily explained.

As if proving Spencer's thoughts from just a moment ago, JJ said "I thought there were only four archangels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Lucifer."

Thinking of his brothers, some of his closest brothers, made Spencer's grace ache a little. His wings curled in once more in a sort of protective hold. He didn't let it show in his voice, though. "That's what most people think."

He looked at Emily and she seemed to realize what he wanted because she sat up a little straighter and her hands started to move as she took over the explanation, not only answering JJ's question but also giving Spencer a bit of an idea on what she knew about him and his history. "Some people believe there are seven archangels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel. Jophiel…" She looked over at Spencer, hesitating only for a second. When he nodded, her voice firmed again and she continued. "Jophiel means 'Beauty of God'. If I remember right, Jophiel was known as the 'Angel of Wisdom and Illumination' or sometimes the 'Angel of Beauty'."

Those were titles that Spencer hadn't heard in a very, very long time. The first one had always been one he'd enjoyed, and one that Gabriel had liked to tease him suited him rather well. His love of knowledge had always been a part of him, both as an archangel and in the human lives he'd lived. The 'Angel of Beauty' business, though, that made him flush. His brothers had always loved to tease him about that.

"I've heard the stories." Dave said, not surprisingly. Honestly, out of them all, Spencer had always thought of Dave as one of the most religious ones of the group. Or, at least, the one with the most religious knowledge. His eyes turned towards Spencer and watched him speculatively. "One of the stories say that Jophiel is the one who drove Adam and Eve from the Garden. They say he guarded the Tree of Knowledge. It says that when Eve bit into the apple, she began to see both good and evil, and because of that it became Jophiel's duty to help mankind see the beauty and good in God once more."

That was an interesting twist on things. Not the true story, of course. So few of the stories humans had were of what actually happened.

Out of them all, Spencer hadn't really expected Aaron to have much to say here, at least not about his history. Aaron was more the type to take in information and speak once he had all the facts. But he was speaking up now and something in his voice told Spencer that the man had done a bit of private research since Spencer's revelation. "It's said that Jophiel is the angel of beauty, who brings positive energy and thoughts to people and helps them turn away from negative things. Believers say that Jophiel can help a person chase away their mental fog, heal their low self-esteem, even recover soul fragments that may have been scattered by shock, fright, or other things. He's supposedly the angel to turn to if you're having trouble dealing with someone, or you find yourself stuck making the same mistakes over and over. He aids those who suffer from low self-esteem or those who are victims of other people's ignorant behavior. He teaches you not to take things so personally and to rise above all the negativity."

"Wow." Spencer said, staring up at his unit chief. He couldn't help the soft chuckle that slipped out or the uncomfortable way he shifted his wings behind him. "They really try and attribute me with a lot, don't they?"

"Is it true?" JJ asked.

That was a bit of a tricky question. "Not in the way you think it is. I mean, we all have our parts, but we're not all assigned that in depth of roles. It's more complicated than that. I didn't just run around earth helping people see the beauty in everything. I don't…" He paused and blew out a breath. "It's so hard to explain. For the sake of making it somewhat understandable, let's say that the titles there are somewhat appropriate, but all those smaller duties that I'm apparently assigned? It's not like that. Your bibles and stories and such get more wrong than they do right."

"You know, if I had to pick, I would've pegged you more as Zadkiel." Emily said slowly, like she was a bit hesitant to voice this. Still, she'd always been a brave one, and she generally spoke her mind. He liked that she still did so now. "Wasn't he the one known as the 'Angel of Mercy and Benevolence'? Or, the 'Angel of Understanding and Compassion.'?"

"Yes, he was." Spencer said. And that was all he said on that. It was all he was going to say on it, too. Without shame, he very obviously turned the subject. "Does any of that really matter? Whether I was the angel of beauty, or compassion, or love, or any of those things, does it matter? I'm me. The person you know is pretty much the angel that I've always been. I still love to learn; I always have. I've always wanted to help people. I've always been awkward. My brothers often teased me for being the first awkward angel ever created, especially when I'm in a vessel. I've always talked too much without realizing that others might not care to hear what I want to say." He gave them all a smile there and was heartened by the smiles he got in return. "Really, guys, I'm the same person where it counts. I'm still _me_. Does the rest of it really matter?"

They didn't answer right away and for that he was a bit grateful. It meant they were thinking about it and not just reacting. Respectfully, he kept out of their heads and away from their thoughts. That was something he'd have to make sure he stayed in the habit of. He didn't want to invade their privacy and just read their thoughts all the time. It was going to take some practice, though. Picking up on human thoughts was a lot easier than people probably thought. Was, in fact, difficult to _not_ do.

"It does and it doesn't." Aaron finally said, drawing Spencer's eyes to him. "It obviously changes some things, Reid. I know you can understand why. But if you're serious about wanting to stay here with us…"

"I am." Spencer said quickly.

Aaron gave a small nod. "Then we can come to terms with the rest of it. You'll have to be patient with us, though. This is an amazing thing to take in."

"I understand." And he did. Spencer knew this was a whole lot for them to take in and he was prepared to be as understanding as possible. "At the same time, I hope you guys can extend the same patience. I've lived more than one human life since I Fell, and in not a one of those lives did I know. Until my grace came back, I had no idea I was an angel. You guys aren't the only ones that are going to be adjusting. I've been without my grace for a long time by human standards. It's going to take some time to remember that I have these abilities again, and to get myself in the mindset of when it is and isn't okay to use them."

It warmed him just how quickly they all agreed to that. He almost started to relax in his seat when Derek suddenly sat up a little and looked over to him. "Wait a second…abilities?"

Oh, right. That was something they'd probably want to know about. This part of things really wasn't _bad_ to share. Spencer drew his legs up on the couch and folded them underneath him. Maybe the next little bit should be spent giving them a crash course in Angel 101. "Sorry." He apologized, smiling shyly at them. "I guess this is another thing I might need some patience on. I keep forgetting that you guys don't really know things about angels."

As he sat there on the jet and explained about angels, talking them through things like how he no longer needed food or sleep, or about his ability to fly, to smite, to heal, he watched their faces as the aw and curiosity washed away any anger or worry or resentment. They were still hesitant, sure, and this would probably only make them more so, but as he watched their reactions, as he felt their moods, he thought to himself that maybe things wouldn't end up so bad. Maybe, even if he couldn't return to one family, the family that he'd made here would still be there for him.


	2. Our Darkest OurThe Longest Night

_This is for the episodes "Our Darkest Hour" and "The Longest Night"_

* * *

The first case that Spencer had to work with the team with his heritage revealed and it had to be a case like this. It had to be something so big, so consuming, and so very personal. Spencer curled his hand in and tried not to let his wings unfurl as he and JJ pulled up to the crime scene. How had he not anticipated how hard this would be? How difficult it would be to not fly off and find this Unsub and bring him to justice? He could, he knew. He could hunt him down much faster than the team could. But finding him was only half the battle. Bringing him to justice was the other half. To do that, they had to do things by the book—by human rules.

That was no real comfort when Spencer and JJ made their way into the house. An officer was dead, his sister on the way to the hospital, Derek was hurt, and a child was missing.

They found the team in the kitchen of the house, the paramedic just leaving Derek's side. One look at him and Spencer wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe his injuries away.

"Derek," JJ breathed out, shock in her tone.

Derek pushed himself up from the table, wincing. "I'm all right."

"You don't look all right." Spencer said before he could stop himself.

The venomous look that Derek shot his way had him flinching back. "I said I'm fine, Reid. No thanks to _you_."

More than one sharp breath could be heard in the room. "Morgan." Aaron said sharply, a warning in his tone. It was a warning Derek didn't heed. He strode right up to Spencer and jabbed a finger in his chest. "Where the hell were you, man?" He hissed, voice pitched low so no one outside the room could hear. "Huh? Where were you and all your great freaking powers when we needed you? Where were you when that bastard was raping Spicer's sister, or when he made Spicer get on his knees before he shot him? Where were you when he took Ellie and ran?"

Though Spencer knew his answer would infuriate, he still spoke honestly, knowing that Derek deserved that. "I was trapped in a car, just like everyone else." He didn't mention that there'd been one of the locals in the car with him; there was no excuse that would make this better. Nothing that would make Derek feel any better or that would take away the losses that had happened.

It wasn't any real surprise when Derek's fist flashed out and connected with his face. The others cried out, but when Spencer remained still, not even moving an inch from the blow, they all froze. Derek, however, made a sharp, pained sound and yanked his hand in, cradling the now broken hand against his stomach. Spencer sighed softly. "I warned you when you talked about sparring before that hitting me isn't the best idea anymore." He reminded Derek gently. "It hurts you far more than it does me." Still, he moved forward and reached out before Derek could stop him. Gently, he curled his hand over Derek's and extended just a bit of his grace. In seconds, the broken hand was healed, as were the internal injuries, including his ribs and the concussion. The outside bruises he left there, because miraculous healing would look suspicious to the locals, but the inside ones he could heal without worry.

Derek jerked his hand back from Spencer as if he couldn't stand the touch. "Keep your hands off me." He growled lowly. "You want to help? Fly your archangel ass outta here and go find that little girl." That said, he turned and stormed out of the house.

The room fell silent with his exit. Spencer drew in a breath and let it out carefully and slowly. He felt JJ's hand settled on his arm in a gesture of comfort and he turned himself just enough to give her a small smile in a silent sign to tell her that he was okay. He couldn't argue Derek's words and they all knew it.

Silently, Spencer turned and walked away.

* * *

No one saw Spencer after that. Not until they were back at the station again. None of the local officers questioned his presence, but there were more than a few looks exchanged between the BAU members who knew that Spencer hadn't ridden back with any of them. They didn't ask where he'd been, though, or what he'd been doing.

When the call came in about a boy who said he'd just escaped from the Prince of Darkness, none of them questioned it when he vanished once more.

* * *

The room was quiet as everyone listened to JJ's voice playing over the radio. Spencer held himself still, only half his attention on the room here, the other half focused somewhere else. But he still listened. He listened as JJ gave their Unsub the words that someone should've given him a long time ago.

" _I'm supposed to empathize with you. Sympathize. Understand_." She told him, her words soft. Spencer heard her draw in a breath before her voice suddenly turned firm. " _But I can't. Uh. That, that would be a lie._ "

Everyone in the room went still. This wasn't part of what she'd been told to say. This, in fact, was the _opposite_. Yet they could only listen as she went on.

" _The truth is I don't understand what you've done. I don't sympathize with you killing people all these years, and I especially don't understand you taking Ellie. What I can do is tell you what a mother should tell you_." Her voice changed a little again and Spencer found himself wanting to actually smile a little. Because that was her serious, 'mom' voice, the one she got when lecturing. " _That you can't take away your pain by hurting someone else. That it doesn't make all the nights you went to bed scared and alone any better if you scare someone else the way you're scaring Ellie. What happened to you, it isn't fair, but what you're doing to her isn't fair either and if anyone should understand what that feels like it's you. You have the power. You can do what you wanna do. But for once, you can choose to use that power to do for Ellie what should've been done for you. You can choose letting her go. You can choose teaching her that, yes, there are monsters and it's okay to be afraid of them. But it's not okay to let them win. And it's not okay to be one._ "

Her last words rang through the room, all the more powerful for the softness with which they'd been delivered.

Some of Spencer's tension suddenly eased and he actually visibly slumped. His friends noticed, but didn't call him on it, though he got more than one questioning look. They might've pushed it more, but only a minute later, a ringing phone interrupted the silence. It was Emily's phone. She took a step back from them to answer it, her voice low. "Agent Prentiss." She paused briefly and Spencer could see as her body tensed as if bracing for something. "Yes, hello doctor…yes, sir, thank you."

There was another ringing, but the team all had their eyes on Emily. She closed the phone and turned around and all of them saw her smile, though she directed it at Derek. "The aunt's going to be okay. She's got a bit of a recovery ahead of her, and it was pretty touch and go there for a bit and he was sure they were going to lose her, but he says she's better. He doesn't understand how, but she's better."

The good news just kept coming. The detective, the one whose phone had rang, turned to them with open shock and joy on his face. "He let her go!" He told them. All eyes snapped to him and watched as he asked the person on the phone "Where?" A pause, and then he was grinning at them again. "He got out of the car and he, ah, he just let her go. She's in a house about six blocks from here."

"Where is he now?" Derek asked quickly.

"Uh, he's in another house up the street."

Everyone was moving quickly. Behind them, Spencer heard Aaron's voice on the phone with JJ, telling her "JJ, I don't know if you know, he let her go. You did it."

No one saw the soft smile on Spencer's face.

* * *

It didn't really surprise Spencer when his teammates ambushed him on the flight back home. Something told him that this might be the norm for the next little while. His teammates were observant, that was their _job_ , so it wasn't all that surprising that they'd noticed things with him. His disappearances, or things in his body language. Spencer had been human long enough that he still had a lot of the same human mannerisms. Those hadn't vanished with the return of his grace. He hadn't suddenly turned into a super stoic angel like some of his brethren. That had never been who he was.

They waited until the jet was in the air before they pounced on him, at least. Spencer had to smother a smile as everyone crowded around him while still trying to seem like they weren't actually swarming him. Emily, however, was straightforward about it, bless her. She dropped down right in the seat next to him and bluntly said "So, what'd you do, Reid?" She grinned at him. "Cause I know how the doctors were talking before and Ellie's aunt, she shouldn't have made it."

He shrugged one shoulder and looked down at the book in his hands that he hadn't really been reading. "I didn't do much for her." It was true. A miraculous healing would've been beyond suspicious. "I just healed a little. Enough that she was out of immediate danger. The rest is up to the doctors."

"And the rest of the time?" JJ asked. "You disappeared on us more than once, Spence. What'd you do?" There was no accusation in her tone. She wasn't trying to imply that he'd done anything bad. If anything, her tone was wildly curious.

JJ might've been the one to ask, but the others were all staring right at him, waiting for an answer. Even Aaron was giving him a rather intent look. Spencer distracted himself from having to look at them by keeping his eyes on his book while he marked his page and put it away in his bag again. "I was hunting down Ellie. I knew a general area, so it didn't take me long to find her. Then I just sort of, kept tabs on her. Watched over her." Made sure that their Unsub didn't kill her.

The jet went silent for a moment. Derek was the one to break it, and he sounded like he wasn't quite sure whether to be surprised or angry. "You found her, but you didn't get her free?"

"How could I?" Spencer countered, looking up at the man who had been his best friend for years now. He could see the flash in Derek's eyes, but he needed the man to understand. He needed him to stop and think about this, not just react. "Derek, you're not thinking clearly about this and you need to. If I flew in there and transported Ellie out, what would've happened? At beast, I could've kept myself hidden so no one would've known it was me, but everyone still would've known that a girl magically disappeared from one place and reappeared somewhere else. I don't know if you can even begin to understand the kind of hysteria it could cause if people actually believed her story, or the effects it could have on her if people didn't and she had to live with that the rest of her life. Worst case, I didn't hide myself while doing it and everyone found out who and what I am. Do you really think that would go over well?"

The jet fell silent after that. Spencer could see that Derek hadn't thought of any of that before. Understandable, really. He'd been too upset. Too worried. Too angry. He was thinking now, though. They all were. Spencer took complete advantage of that to point out things he hadn't before; things that he'd thought they would all understand without being told.

"There's only so much I can do to help on cases without either giving myself away, or messing up the case." He told them bluntly. "I'm pretty good at covering my tracks, and making myself invisible is beyond easy. But even if I can get in and stop an Unsub, even if I can rescue the victims, we have to stop and think about the effect it'll have on the case. It sounds cold, I know, but we have to think that way. All of us do. Because, sure, I can tell us where to focus sometimes. Sometimes I might even be able to point and say 'this is our Unsub'. But unless we have the facts and evidence to back us up, what good is it going to do?"

"I never thought of it like that." JJ said.

"My skills in profiling are still most likely going to be the biggest help in regular cases. Sometimes, like in this one, I can help in other ways. I can do like I did with Ellie and go find them and watch over them, make sure they're okay, make sure they're alive. I can keep a child from dying. In a sense, I can play the part of the guardian angel that you see on TV and such. In missing children cases, I can really help out. It's not as easy to find someone I don't know, but I'm better equipped than the average human to find them. But, guys," He spread his hands out beseechingly, needing them to hear him and understand. "I can't just walk into a town and point and say 'there he is' and have you guys go arrest him. And I won't always have the answers. I'm an archangel—not my Father. I'm not omniscient or omnipotent."

"What you can do is enough." Aaron said. He leaned back in his seat, fixing Spencer with a serious yet contemplative look. The one that said he was taking facts and shuffling them around in his mind. Finding all the ways they went together and all the ways they could be used. It was part of what made him such a good leader. He was smart, caring, kind, and confident, all things that a leader needed. He knew them all, knew them well, and knew how best to utilize their individual skills. After a second of thinking about it, he said "If you let me know ahead of time what you're going to do, I can send you out with Morgan or I can make up some excuse for you to be somewhere so that the officers won't get suspicious of your absence."

A small smile touched Spencer's lips. "I can do that."

Aaron smiled back at him. "Then I think we can make this work."

* * *

It was when he got home that afternoon that Spencer felt the shockwave blast across the Heavenly airwaves, that connection that all angels shared. Thankfully he managed to get inside and slam his door shut behind him before he hit his knees just inside his apartment and clutched at his chest as his newly returned grace cried out in grief and loss along with every other angel in existence.

Michael and Lucifer were lost. They were locked together, in the Cage. The apocalypse was over.

There was no one around to see as the lost archangel wept for his brothers.

* * *

 _So right now, I'm not doing every episode of season 6. I'm doing quite a few, and I have big plans for some, but I'm not revisiting all. I am, however, mixing other things in there, so it won't all be episode related. Anything you want to see, feel free to let me know, and thank you all so much for your Kudos and Comments, they are wonderful and inspiring :D_


	3. JJ

As always, it was easiest for Spencer to avoid his own personal troubles by losing himself inside of work. The grief he felt over knowing that not just one brother, but _two_ were now locked away in the Cage, was pushed down as far as he could force it and buried underneath work. And if he found himself wanting to wrap his wings protectively around his team, his newfound human family, well, no one had to know about that. They couldn't see it, anyways, and it caused no real harm. It made him feel better to keep his wings out and around the team as they headed off to their next case.

This was a case that Spencer knew he could help on. There was a missing girl, last seen with two twenty year old boys, Sydney Pearson and James Barrett. She was reported missing the next morning when she didn't meet her friends, almost three days ago. The boys claimed she'd been dropped at her hotel, but there was nothing to confirm that. Both boys claimed that they'd had consensual sex with her but without a body, there was no way to prove that. The two boys were at the station being held for questioning and there was only so much longer that they could legally be held. What they needed most here was to find the girl—dead or alive. Sadly, they all knew the likelihood of which one it would be.

But Spencer could help find her. One look into the minds of these boys, if they really were the Unsubs, would tell him what he needed to know.

Aaron wanted to hold off on it. He wanted a chance to talk to the Unsubs before they invaded their privacy this way. Spencer couldn't say he was surprised by that decision. The team's reaction when he'd first told them he was able to read minds had been…not happy. He'd had to spend quite a bit of time reassuring them that he didn't intentionally seek out any of their thoughts. "It's not like that." He'd explained to them. "I don't just reach in and start digging around. Human minds are just, open. For the most part, I can shut it out, though some thoughts will still slip through. But for the most part I just sort of tune it all out, like I do with prayers." That had led into a discussion of prayers that had been both interesting and a bit reassuring. Once he'd explained to them that angels could hear prayers, and that any prayer with his true name in it went straight to him no matter what, he could now console himself with the fact that any of his teammates that got in trouble would now have a way to contact him, no matter what, and he would be able to latch on to that prayer and find them wherever they were. That had reassured not only him, but them as well.

But they all remained a little cautious about the ethical side of mindreading, and so when they first arrived on scene, Spencer found himself sent with Dave to go to the bar where the girl went missing. The look that Dave gave Aaron said that he wasn't entirely approving of their Unit Chief's decision either, but he held his tongue. Besides, Spencer rationalized to himself, even if he looked in their minds and found what they did with the girl, if they were unfortunate and she was dead, they needed to be able to have evidence to prove the boys did it. Just having her body wouldn't be enough. So, Spencer went with Dave, and he did his job.

However, when they got back to the station, Spencer could see that things weren't going well. Aaron sent Dave off to speak with one of their suspects, and the discreet look he gave Spencer told him to go along as well. Spencer gave a small nod to show that he understood. Then he turned and set off after Dave.

He forgot, sometimes, just what it was like to see the kinds of things now that he could see in someone's mind. The last time he'd been on earth, in a vessel, had been a long time ago by human standards. Hundreds and hundreds of years. The last visit he could remember was during what he was pretty sure had been the early 1500's. Michelangelo had been painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling at the time. He and a friend had sat, invisible, and watched as it was brought to life. That was the last time that Spencer could remember being on earth while he still had his grace. Things had gone bad shortly after that. So, having his grace back, being himself once more, he was pretty much learning, just as his team was learning, about how things would go and how he might be affected by things.

When he stood outside the interview room and watched through the glass as Dave spoke to their suspect, the archangel had to fight back his temper. He wasn't even _trying_ to hear what the suspect was thinking. His smug satisfaction about what he'd done was coming through loud and clear.

"Reid?"

The careful voice came from just behind him, but Spencer didn't turn to look. He'd known as Derek had come in the room. He'd felt him. There was no one else with him and there were on cameras here in the room so Spencer didn't worry about what he said next. He was as safe as could be in here. "He did horrible things to her." Another thought came through, the image loud and clear with it, and Spencer shuddered, body and grace. "He hurt her, pretty sure she was drunk enough to not remember it all, and then they took her back to her hotel and dumped her there. He wanted to do more, though. He wanted to do so much more. He got off on it all. This, it's just a beginning for him. Now that he knows that feeling of power, he'll go out and he'll rape again. He won't even want to try and stop himself."

One of Derek's hands settled on Spencer's shoulder. He had to be able to feel the tension there. Maybe he could even feel a hint of the power crackling underneath the surface. Spencer was fighting hard to control it. But if he did, he didn't let it stop him. He stayed there at Spencer's side and held on to his shoulder in a familiar, reassuring gesture that he'd done so many times before.

Spencer took comfort from his friend's presence. He drew in an unnecessary breath and blew it back out slowly, blowing out a little more of his tension. "He didn't kill her. But I want to check out his friend."

"All right, kid."

A ghost of a smile brushed over Spencer's lips as the two turned away from the viewing window. "You do realize I'm a being that is older than your mind can even begin to comprehend, don't you?"

"Yeah, well, you still look like a kid to me, kid." Derek teased, ruffling his hair, laughing when Spencer scowled at him. Without realizing thing about it, the archangel reached out with a wing, using it to push at Derek's shoulder lightly. He had to fight not to laugh when Derek stumbled and immediately began to look around to try and figure out what had done it.

Spencer was smiling as he slipped out of the room. That smile didn't last.

One look at the other suspect's mind and Spencer was moving. He found Aaron already coming down the hallway towards the interview rooms and he quickly hurried up to his boos, who must've seen something on his face because he excused himself from the officer he was with and moved off to the side of the hall so that he and Spencer could be discreetly out of the way. Spencer wasted no time. As soon as they were close, he lowered his voice and said "I know what they did with her, Hotch. Barrett wasn't involved, it was Pearson. Kate left her phone in the car and he used that as a ruse to get back into her room, then he took her and went out on the inlet and dumped her. That's why he was late for work. You'll see in his boat, his GPS was ripped out so he could try and cover his tracks."

"We need to get search and rescue in the air, now, before it gets dark. They'll have a better chance of seeing…anything." Aaron said immediately. Neither one mentioned the high chances that nothing would be found. She'd been out there for days already. Three days, out on the water. Chances of surviving that were almost nothing. But Spencer had hope. He had to have hope.

"Hotch, how are we going to…?" He trailed off, one hand gesturing around the station in a way meant to encompass all the officers here, who had no idea who Spencer was and wouldn't just accept his word that this was where they needed to look.

To his surprise, Aaron actually smiled at him. "Leave that to me. Go gather the others, let them know we'll be heading out." That said, he turned and hurried away, leaving Spencer staring after him feeling absurdly grateful for the friends he had.

* * *

Moments like this were when Spencer truly saw his Father's hand in the world. As he stood on the beach and heard the detective telling Aaron "They found her, clinging to a buoy. She's alive!" he felt his lips stretch into a wide grin. Though he knew his Father hadn't been home for a very long time, that He didn't reach out and touch humanity the way that humans thought He did, he still tipped his face up and said a silent 'Thank you'.

* * *

For every moment of peace that they found, it seemed that there was always something waiting in the wings to ruin it. This time, it came in the form of JJ's transfer.

"No." Emily said, pushing up from her chair.

They'd known about the Pentagon wanting her; they'd worried about it this whole case. But JJ had reassured them she wasn't going anywhere. Judging by the look on her face, that was no longer an option. The team, minus Aaron and Penelope, stood in the otherwise empty bullpen and watched as JJ came up to them, a sad look on her face that told the story clear as a bell. Spencer could feel her misery, her angry, and he hated it.

Derek stepped forward, looking almost devastated. "Wait a minute, I thought Hotch was supposed to…"

"It's above his pay grade." JJ interrupted. "Strauss's too."

Grief ate at Spencer's insides. They were a family here, this little group of people that he loved. The only family that he let himself have right now. He'd thought it would be better here. Thought that he'd be safer. Yet it was happening all over again. He was once more losing someone that he loved. Another sibling, this human woman that was like a sister to him, was being taken away from them. "They can't just take you away." He said softly.

He wasn't the only one who looked heartbroken. "So, we do nothing?" Emily asked.

JJ shook her head. "It's done."

"It can't be that simple." Derek protested. His voice was low and slightly angry in that way of his that he used to cover up other emotions.

Smiling sadly, JJ shrugged. "It is."

"This job is hard enough." Derek said with a furious look around at the others. "What are they trying to do, bury us?"

Emily let out a laugh that carried no hint of humor to it. "You're too good. That's the problem."

"It's true." Dave agreed. "You're on everybody's wish list. Our loss is somebody else's gain."

None of that mattered to Spencer. Not the job JJ had here, not the job she was going to, not the opportunity this presented or any of the reasons why this was happening. All he knew was that he was yet again losing a part of his family and it hurt no less that it was only a member of his adopted family here. "They can't just take you away." He repeated again.

The look that JJ gave him was heartbreaking. Her eyes were red-rimmed and he could see the tears building there. She reached out to him, leaning in for a hug, and Spencer couldn't help himself. He'd become more tactile recently and he knew the team had noticed it. No one complained, though. JJ didn't now as he pulled her into a hug. She let herself get folded into his arms and her head came to rest briefly against his shoulder. Though she couldn't see it, wings wrapped around her as well, sheltering her in an embrace that no one, save his Father, could've broken into. In that moment she was the single most protected human in existence—and it still wasn't enough. He couldn't keep her here no matter how badly he wanted to.

They pulled apart just enough for her to look up at him and Spencer could see just how much this was hurting her. It was that pain that had him swallowing down his own. He needed to help her, not make this harder for her. So he swallowed down his pain and fought back his own hurt and instead focused on giving her what little peace he could. He brought his hands up to cup her face and he held her there for a moment as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. He added just a touch of grace as he whispered a blessing in Enochian against her skin. When he pulled back and looked down into her eyes, he smiled. Some of the pain had faded there, some of the burden of her grief eased. "What was that?" She asked him, her own lips starting to curve like she couldn't quite stop her smile.

"Just a little blessing." Spencer said.

When he finally let her go and watched her walk away, he whispered part of the blessing in his mind once more. _Be safe, little sister._


	4. Stories of Lives Gone Past

_The group get together at JJ's while Will and Henry are away for a little dinner and story time_

* * *

The night air was cool as Spencer stretched himself out in the grass in JJ's backyard. It'd been two weeks since JJ had left the BAU and everyone was gathering together at her place for a dinner. It basically translated to an excuse for everyone to hang out together. Spencer had known that JJ wouldn't want to let them all go when she left. Leaving the BAU didn't mean leaving them. When she'd called to insist—not invite, _insist_ —that he come to dinner that weekend, she'd explained that Will and Henry had gone down to New Orleans to visit some family and she was tired of being alone. Truth, he had no doubt, but also a great excuse to get everyone together.

Dinner, as always, was delicious. JJ was an excellent cook and Spencer enjoyed every meal he had here—and he'd eaten at JJ's plenty of times. The group of them sat and ate and talked and had a great time.

Aaron had left Jack with a sitter for the evening, since Henry wasn't here for him to play with, and no one else had brought any dates, so it was just the group of them. JJ, Aaron, Derek, Dave, Emily, Spencer and Penelope. Basically, people that he loved, and people that he could allow himself to relax around. Penelope was included in that group now, too. Spencer had made the decision to not keep this a secret from her. He'd told the truth to the team and she was a part of that team. She was part of their family. There was no way he could keep it from her. She'd taken it, better than he'd anticipated. Especially when he'd flown her from one room of his apartment to another. Once she'd stopped squealing, she'd been full of questions and such open _joy_ it had actually helped Spencer find a bit of his own joy in things again.

Funny enough, she was the only person since then to actually ask him to fly her anywhere. He'd promised her their next free time, he'd take her someplace special.

As he folded his hands under his head and looked up at the darkening sky, he amused himself with thinking about where he'd take her while he listened to everyone else make their way outside. New York, maybe? Or Seattle. He could take her to the Space Needle. Or maybe out to Paris for a quick lunch and some inevitable shopping. That woman could shop anywhere.

"What're you grinning about?"

Emily's question interrupted his thoughts and Spencer tipped his head back a little more to look up at the woman that was standing near his head, smiling down at him. He smiled back at her with an ease that very few got to see. "Nothing. Just making plans."

She chuckled and ruffled his hair before slipping down onto the grass next to him. There were yard chairs spread out for all of them, but Spencer had opted for the grass and Emily was apparently joining them. They didn't bother with a blanket or anything like that. Spencer just lay on his back with his hands behind his head and Emily sat cross legged near his hip. They both stayed there as the others slowly made their way over to them. Penelope joined first, taking the chair nearest the two. It made her smile to look down and see them sitting together like that. To see the ease with which Spencer lay there. It was an ease that wouldn't have been there months ago. Out of all the changes that had happened with Spencer getting his grace back, this was one that all his friends had noticed and that they all could say they enjoyed. Their quiet genius was still quiet, at least around others, but he'd lost some of that shyness he'd always had. Those nerves that came from always feeling like he wasn't good enough, or that he was awkward and out of place or somehow didn't fit in. Those didn't really show anymore. In their place was a quiet sort of confidence that they all thought suited him much better.

Spencer knew who he was now and he was much more at home in his own skin. Oh, he was still awkward, and at times uncomfortable around other people, but it wasn't the same. There was just this air about him that said he was comfortable in who he was. It was a look they liked to see on him.

"Tell us a story, Reid." Penelope said as she got comfortable in her chair. Beside her, JJ took another chair while Aaron came up behind her holding a tray full of glasses. Everyone except Spencer took a drink.

As the others finally sat down, Spencer rolled his head enough to look at Penelope. "What kind of story?" Not that he really had to ask; he already had a pretty good idea about how she'd answer. All of them were curious about Spencer and about his past but none of them seemed as at ease with asking questions as Penelope was.

"Can you tell us how this whole, born to be a human thing works out?" She asked curiously. "You mentioned before that you'd had more than one life as a human. How…how does that work?"

"My grace wasn't free floating, nor was it ripped out and left on earth to bond with the earth itself. It was…held. Contained." A small grimace crossed Spencer's features. Though he hid his emotions well, better than before, the others could all tell that was something not to touch on. He didn't dwell long on that; quickly, he moved on. "Because of that, when I died, I wasn't a regular soul so I couldn't go to Heaven or Hell, and my grace still existed but I couldn't bond back with it, so I just sort of…free floated, I guess you'd call it. A kind of limbo. That's my best guess. I know when I was born into each life and when I died, and there are gaps between. My guess is that the bit of grace that stayed, the part that mimicked a human soul, floated around until it found a vessel to contain it. Then, it merged and was born into that vessel." It would've continued in an endless cycle, too, if his grace hadn't been freed. Spencer was almost tempted sometimes to try and find out how he'd been set free. He knew how he'd been taken; being freed shouldn't have really ended up possible. Not unless… no, he wasn't going to think that.

Penelope leaned forward a little eagerly. Out of them all she seemed to take to this the easiest and be the most eager about all of it. "You really remember your past lives?"

"I do." A hint of a smile chased away the slight frown that had still been touching Spencer's lips.

"How many did you have?" Emily asked.

Spencer looked up at the slowly darkening sky and let his mind drift a little over the past. "Three." He said softly. "I had three lives before this one. Three times that I got to experience the joys and pains of being human." There'd been good and there'd been bad in those lives. Some high moments and some truly low ones. But he wouldn't trade a one of them. What other angel out there could claim the knowledge of human existence that he now had? What other angel could say that they'd lived like a human, experienced it, were at one point a very part of their Father's greatest creation? "I've seen some amazing things." His smile grew a little and he tipped his head to look at his friends. "I got to see Othello performed at the Globe. Rebecca loved it."

"You got to see an original performance of Shakespeare's Othello?" Aaron asked. He sounded just a little awed by the idea and Spencer had to grin at him, getting a grin in return that softened those harsh lines that sometimes seemed permanently etched on Aaron's face. "I did." Amusement tickled at Spencer and he pushed himself up until he was seated cross legged just like Emily, their legs just sort of brushing together. His eyes danced with good humor as they traveled over his friends. "Would you believe I actually didn't want to go?"

That brought on more than a few laughs. "You're kidding me. You?" Derek teased him.

"Mm hm. There were things to be done, business that needed taking care of. But, Rebecca wanted to go." He shrugged one shoulder and brushed a bit of hair back behind his ear. Though he didn't know it, his whole expression softened and warmed into a look none of them had seen there before. It was a look that Aaron had used to get when talking about Hayley. "I always did have a hard time refusing her anything. When I brought her those tickets, her smile practically lit up the room."

JJ was the one to ask what they were all thinking. "Rebecca, she was your wife?"

"Oh yes. I was married in two of those lives. I never had any children, though. But I was always happy to play Uncle. Or, Aunt."

As he'd known it would, that last comment threw them off, distracted them from the bit of his grief that had shown through. "Wait a second, wait a second." Derek said, holding out his hands. "One of your past lives was a _woman_?"

"Gabriella Marie Reid." Spencer answered. He watched their shocked reactions with amusement. Obviously they hadn't expected that.

Dave, though, seemed caught on a different part of it. "Reid?"

Surprised, Spencer looked over at him. It only took a second for him to realize what the confusion was. "I told you guys before, my grace was drawn to the bloodlines that were made to carry me anyways. That's how I was born to William and Diana—any child of theirs would've been my True Vessel. William's side of the family, that's where my line is. The other lives I lived, they were ancestors of his. I was always a Reid. Though, I became Matheson for a while. My husband was Jeramiah Matheson." He smiled softly at the memories; fond memories that he could look at now and remember. "He was a good man. I got sick there, at the end, and he never left me." Those were memories that Spencer held close now. Being able to remember his past lives, he had all these memories, all these feelings. People he had loved and who'd loved him. He could remember being Gabriella, remember meeting Miah for the first time, the shyness that she'd felt and the immense love it'd grown into. He could remember being Darren and the way he'd felt as he'd watched Rebecca walk down the aisle towards him, or how he'd felt the day he'd watched them lower her into the ground. He remembered being Isiah and the quiet lovers he'd had in a world that hadn't had room for feelings like his. Where people even knowing of them could've gotten him killed.

He'd lived and loved and laughed and cried. He'd experienced so much in his human lives and it'd given him an even greater understanding of humanity than he'd ever had before. Not once had he ever questioned his Father's command to love humanity. But now…now he _understood_. Because, they were better. They were wonderful, amazing, messed up, broken, flawed, beautiful, ever-changing, and so very deserving of their Father's love.

The others must've been able to sense the melancholy of his inner thoughts because Emily leaned in towards him a little and bumped him just enough to get his attention. Then she said "Tell us a happy story. Human, angel, whatever. But tell us one of your favorite memories."

One of his favorite memories? Spencer shifted back just a little, laying his hands on the grass and reclining slightly backwards on them. There were so many memories to choose from. So many moments. How could he pick a favorite? "I have a lot of memories. I don't know that I could pick a favorite." And there were parts of himself he doubted he could bring up yet. But, maybe there were some things he could share. His lips curved up a little as he thought of one. _Mauricio._ "There are a few that I truly enjoy, though. Let me tell you about a boy I met, who tried to pick my pocket and accidentally stabbed me in the process, and who ended up becoming my ward. I was Isiah at the time—Isiah Jeffrey Reid—and I was about twenty the first time I met Mauricio…"

The yard fell quiet as Spencer wove them a tale of a different time and a different place.


	5. What Happens at Home Old Friends

_A remake of the episode of "What Happens at Home" and Ashely's first appearance, plus a surprise appearance from someone we love._

 _Again, remember, some dialogue in the first part of this comes directly from the episode and is NOT MINE :)_

* * *

The case started out just like any other one. Without JJ there to present the case, Aaron was the one to do it, standing at the front of the room as everyone filed in. Spencer took his seat at the table, eyes on their Unit Chief as the man explained what was going on. "Three women were murdered inside a gated community in southeastern New Mexico in the last two months." He told them, clicking his remote until pictures of the women came up.

"All three inside." Derek said.

Aaron nodded at them. "Marjorie West was strangled in her home in the middle of the night while her family was out of town. They found her the next morning. Jill Long was strangled in the laundry room while her husband and sons were camping in the backyard. And last night, Aubrey Jacobs was killed in her home office while her daughter and husband were asleep in the house."

"Occupied dwellings is as high-risk as it gets." Derek pointed out.

"And he's fearless." Spencer said. The Unsub had to be, to attempt kills like these.

"Proximity, the chance he might get caught…" Emily shrugged, tilting her head a little. "That could be part of it for him."

"You said gated community. I'm assuming that means security?" Spencer asked. Most gated communities had some form or another of security. It was part of the appeal.

Again, Aaron nodded. "A small security staff and perimeter cameras. Everything's recorded 24-7 and no one has entered or left the compound since last night except residents. It looks like the Unsub is part of the community. The local Detective says that demographics, general makeup, and socioeconomic status of the residents is essentially the same."

That brought out more than a few winces. "That's going to make a profile difficult." Emily pointed out.

"Unless we examine a different set of parameters." Aaron said.

Three heads turned towards him. Derek was the one to ask what was on everyone's mind. "Different parameters?"

"Rossi's working on that right now." Aaron said.

The way he said that left Spencer feeling just slightly nervous.

* * *

They didn't have to wait long to find out what those 'different set of parameters' was. Spencer was making himself a cup of coffee when he saw a new woman walk into the BAU. Young, blond, carried herself like an agent, yet nervous too. He hadn't seen her here before. When he saw Aaron and Dave coming down from their offices and heading towards her, he felt no shame whatsoever in using his grace to extend his hearing just the slightest bit and listening in while he stirred sugar into his coffee to make it extra sweet.

"Ashley." Dave called out in greeting. When she got close, he smiled at her and then turned to gesture to Derek and Emily, both of whom had risen when she'd come over. "Agent trainee Seaver, Supervisory Special Agents Prentiss and Morgan."

Ashley was polite, smiling at them in greeting. "I've heard a lot about both of you."

"Well, I hope it was all good." Derek flashed her that charming grin of his and Spencer smothered the urge to snort. That would look a bit strange to those near him who didn't know he was listening to someone. He really didn't need to add to the image people had of him. They already thought he was strange. Standing by himself in a kitchen and snorting randomly would only cement that image even more. Pushing it down, he focused again, just in time to hear Ashley say "Very, sir."

"Anything specific?" Derek asked, sounding so serious and yet looking playful, all at the same time. "I mean about me in particular."

Though Spencer couldn't cut his friend off, Emily was there and she did so without hesitation. "Oh, please, don't encourage him."

Any more playfulness was cut off by Aaron. As always, he brought them back on track. "Agent Seaver is on loan to us from the academy while she's in remedial training with an injury."

"Concussion." Ashely explained when all eyes turned to her. "Hand-to-hand got a little out of control."

Finished preparing his coffee, Spencer gathered up his cup and started to make his way over to them. Standing on the sidelines and listening in was all well and good but he was curious about this woman and why she was here with their team. Did she have something to do with what Dave had been out doing earlier? As he got close, he heard Emily ask "How's the other guy?" which had Ashley making a mock sympathetic sound and answering "Don't ask."

Well, time for him to join the conversation. "I was remediated in the academy also." He said as he joined the group.

Humor curved Dave's lips. Still, polite, he held a hand out Spencer's direction. "Agent Seaver, Dr. Reid."

Ashley was more polite than most people. She didn't automatically assume anything at Spencer's statement. She was a little nervous, but nice, when she asked him "Um, what was your issue?"

More than one of his teammates' faces showed their humor at what they knew was coming. Grinning, Spencer shifted his cup in his hands and pretended to think about it. "What was my issue? Marksmanship, physical training, obstacle course, Hogan's alley, you know, pretty much everything that wasn't technically book related. They ultimately had to make exceptions to allow me into the field."

She hadn't looked worried before; she definitely did now. No one wanted to hear something like that about a person they might be working with.

Again, Aaron drew them back on topic. Only this time, his words stunned them all a little. "Agent Seaver's going to accompany us to New Mexico."

Surprise lit up Derek's face. "She is?"

"As a consultant." Aaron clarified.

"On?"

It was Dave who fielded that one. "She has a unique perspective."

This time it was Ashley who looked surprised. "They don't know?"

Shrugging, Dave gave her an apologetic look. "Well, we weren't sure how you wanted to, uh…"

A sigh slid from Ashley and her surprise faded to resignation. When she turned back to look at them, her face very clearly said she was prepared for just about any reaction. Spencer quickly understood why, before she even opened her mouth. It was screaming in her thoughts so loudly there was no way he couldn't hear it. _Oh,_ wow. Okay. Things suddenly made a lot more sense. It did for the others, too, as she explained "Seaver's not my original last name. It's my mother's maiden name. Mine used to be Beauchamp. My father is Charles Beauchamp."

He couldn't exactly give away that he'd read her mind or anything like that, so Spencer played his part, something he was becoming scarily good at. "As in the Redmond ripper Charles Beauchamp?"

"That's him." Ashley said.

Spencer cast a look at his teammates. "He killed twenty five women over ten years in rural north Dakota. I think that you caught him, right, Rossi?"

"Hotch was on that team, too." Dave said modestly.

Aaron picked up the conversation before anyone could say anything else. "Based on her life experience, we were hoping that Agent Seaver might recognize something in the family dynamics inside the community that could be helpful." He gave them no time to question it, just gestured for them to move. "We have a plane waiting."

Oh, this was going to be interesting.

* * *

Aaron pulled Spencer aside just before he would've got on the jet. Ashley and Dave were already on there and though Derek and Emily hesitated briefly, a look from Aaron had them heading on as well. Whatever his boss wanted to say to him, he obviously wanted to say it alone. Spencer stayed silent and waited until the others were on the jet. He didn't have to wait long after that. Almost immediately, Aaron started to speak. "I know this situation is uncomfortable to you, Reid. It's not ideal to have someone new on our team right now. But Agent Seaver's only going to be here for this one case, as a consultant, and then she goes back. Do you think you can handle her presence for the duration of the case?"

The obvious concern there warmed Spencer inside a little. Though Aaron's words seemed a bit gruff, maybe even harsh to someone that didn't know him, Spencer could _feel_ the worry underneath it, and he knew that if he said 'No', Aaron would find some way to make it work, whether that be sending Ashley back, or having Spencer sit this case out.

A ghost of a smile touched Spencer's lips and he couldn't help the way his grace leapt out a little. It brushed against Aaron, invisible and yet felt, a warm press of emotions that showed his gratitude. The gesture was one that Spencer was surprised to find his team didn't ever seem to mind at all. After the first time it'd happened and he'd explained that it was just sort of habit, an angelic way of communicating emotion, they'd all assured him it was fine. Aaron didn't even blink under it now, though some of his tension did fade away. "I'll be fine, Hotch." Spencer reassured him verbally. "I can treat it like I do when we're around other officers."

"Good. And like normal, if you find something or need something, let me know. She doesn't understand our team and she won't question if you pull me aside to talk. Anything else, I can explain away."

Spencer was smiling as he followed his friend onto the jet.

* * *

Getting through the case was much simpler than Spencer had anticipated. So long as he treated working with Ashley the same that he treated working with any local law enforcement, it wasn't any real hitch at all. It wasn't like Spencer could talk about the things he saw or felt or heard right out in the open anyways. He could've spoken directly to the minds of his friends, but he doubted they'd be all that comfortable with it.

Unfortunately, a side effect of Spencer and Ashley being kept apart was that the archangel wasn't there when the young agent pulled a stupid move and went off alone to return a laptop to a victim's husband—a husband who just happened to be their killer. When she became trapped in there, when the husband finally snapped a little and trapped her in his house, there wasn't really anything that Spencer could do. Not with officers all around watching. It wasn't until they were in the SUV on their way to the house that Spencer could do anything. He'd made sure to ride with his teammates and no police officers, and to ride in the back where the tinted windows would hide him. As soon as they were on the way, he told Derek and Emily—the two in the front seat—"Be right back" and then he was gone.

It took only a thought to make himself invisible. When he landed in the house, no one could see him, nor could they hear him as he moved silently to where the voices were coming from. What he found had him grimacing. Ashley was backed up in a corner, the Unsub right in front of her with a knife to her throat, while all the while his little girl watched on. Spencer couldn't help himself. He wrapped one side of his wings around the child in an invisible protection she wouldn't even know was there.

Spencer hated standing there and just watching. All it would take was a bit of grace and he could have this whole thing taken care of. He could have the Unsub in cuffs, the child and Ashley downstairs, and memories wiped so that no one would remember him doing anything. Hell, he could even make it so that everyone thought Ashley had done it. But he wasn't about to do that unless it proved absolutely necessary. He had to trust his friends. His team. Even if it made his grace _ache_ to stand here and watch as the Unsub fought between his urge to kill Ashley and the urge to shelter the daughter who was the only thing in the world he cared about.

Luckily, things didn't get too far. The team showed up soon enough and Spencer moved himself in just enough time for Aaron to come in the room and for Dave to take the little girl out. No longer needing to protect her, Spencer was free to spread out his wings and invisibly protect the ones he cared about the most. In the end, he didn't have to. Aaron did his job and when the Unsub moved towards him, he took him down.

Though he didn't know her well, there was no way Spencer could leave Ashley as the girl fought back her grief and the pain inside that threatened to claw its way out of her. He followed her outside as she made her way to the SUV's. It was easy to make himself appear in the back of the one just before she got to it. He debated only a moment before he let himself be visible. She didn't notice him at first when she sat down inside. Her grief and shock were too strong. She just stared at the seat in front of her as her breath shuddered in and out of her and a few tears escaped.

Long after Dave had shut the door behind her, long after she'd given in to the tears and let them silently stream down her face, Spencer stayed there. He stayed quietly in his seat and stared out the windows as she grieved, as the cocoon of shock slowly started to fade. He stayed there as she finally noticed his presence and as she tried to gather her composure.

Though she didn't know what it was from, Ashley found herself calming, found the pain fading little by little until the world finally stopped trembling around her. Until she felt like once more everything was steady underneath her and not threatening to pull her under. She never knew just how much of that she owed to the being beside her.

* * *

A few of them went out for dinner together when they got back. Mostly, Spencer knew, they were taking Ashley out. They all had their ways of coping after a case and this was one of them. Derek and Emily had cornered Ashley and Spencer both once they got off the jet and pretty much insisted that they go out. So, the four of them piled into cars, and they headed to the bar they all favored when it was the group of them. It was one that had music and dancing, which made Derek and Emily happy, as well as JJ and Penelope sometimes, but it also had plenty of seating for the others who liked to sit and chat and drink, and they also had a small menu with some pretty good food. All in all, it was the kind of place that catered to the likes of each team member in different ways, so it had sort of become the one they'd go to when together.

Only, when Spencer walked through the door tonight, there was something immediately different. Spencer wasn't sure what it was at first. Just, an energy in the air. Something that seemed only vaguely familiar. It wasn't angels. That was something he would've recognized right off the bat. But there was _something_ here tonight. Something that was pretty damn good at masking its power. There weren't many things out there that were strong enough to even come close to hiding their power from an archangel. Spencer clamped down on his own shields that he knew kept him hidden, even from his family, and at the same time tried to reach out a little to search around him.

He'd gotten sucked into his search and hadn't realized that he'd literally stopped in place. He came back to himself a little when Emily's hand curled around his inner elbow and she tugged a little. The trust he had in her enabled him to just follow her lead and move his feet, knowing she'd get him safely seated somewhere. Sure enough, a moment later his legs were bumping against a chair. Spencer blinked his eyes clear and looked over to find that Derek was engaging Ashley in conversation, keeping her distracted, but his eyes kept sneaking looks at Spencer and his thoughts were fully of worry, and Emily was still right at his side watching him with a worry she carefully masked from Ashley.

Spencer drew in a breath and steadied himself. Then he gave Emily a small smile. Old manners came to the forefront and he pulled out a chair for Emily, offering her the seat right beside him. As she moved to take it, he leaned in enough to murmur to her "There's something here, I'm not sure what. Keep on alert. I'll let you know if we need to leave."

The light brush of her fingers against his arm before she let go told him that she'd heard and understood his message.

To the others, Spencer smiled, no signs of his worry showing through. "I'll go up to the bar and get our drinks. Morgan, Emily, the usual?" At their nods, he turned to Ashley. "And for you?"

"Oh, ah." She hesitated only briefly before he could actually see her make the decision to relax. "Long island iced tea."

"Delicious choice. I'll be right back with those."

He was halfway to the bar when he felt a tiny little change in that faint presence. It wasn't much, just a small flare of power, yet it was enough. It was more than enough. All of a sudden the familiarity of what he'd been feeling became clear. It hit him, hard enough to actually make him stumble, and he knew his eyes were wide as they darted around the room in an effort to locate that presence, to find…there! Spencer had to fight not to let his shields slip. His grace was dancing inside of him with a joy he hadn't felt in so, so long. There, seated at a stool at the bar, was someone who Spencer hadn't seen in a long, long time. Someone he would recognize anywhere, though the body was different. It was a trick, he could see as he got closer, just a bit of power used to change the shape of the vessel, change the body, the gender.

Spencer didn't hesitate to walk right up to her, _him_. The woman was small, a petite thing with bright eyes and a flirtatious smile all framed by a cloud of brown hair, with pale legs that her miniskirt showed off perfectly. She was dressed to entice, most definitely, and entice she had. There were more than a few men, and even a woman or two, that were paying her attention, though all of her focus was on the man beside her. To the others, it probably looked like she was interested, like there was nothing she wanted more than this man. None of them could see what Spencer saw.

There were a few ways that Spencer could do this. He could be discreet, reach out in ways that no one else would even know were happening. He could move up and talk to her, let just a hint of his true self show so that the other would know. He could reach out, mind to mind.

But he had something else a bit more appropriate in mind.

With a thought, he locked down the bar, put a quick shield over the place so no one would be getting out, but no angels or anyone else would be able to see _in_. The one he was watching snapped to attention almost immediately at that, though they kept it well hidden. Then, as bright eyes were scanning the room, attempting to discreetly search out the one who had done this, Spencer lifted one hand and used a move he'd picked up from one of his favorite siblings. He snapped, and the whole room froze.

Instantly he felt the press of power against his when the other attempted to leave. It didn't work. There were very few who had the power to outmatch him and two of them were currently locked in a Cage while the other had vanished a long, long time ago.

Spencer strolled around the frozen bodies in front of him. His footsteps made a soft sound on the ground and it drew the other's gaze immediately. Spencer felt his lips curve up into a smile. He walked right up to them, stopping right in front of those pale, crossed legs, and looked down into a pair of eyes that were the same as they'd always been, no matter the vessel they were in. They weren't afraid, rarely ever had he seen them afraid, but they were wary. It was a look he didn't like seeing there.

Very carefully Spencer let his grace swell just enough to let himself be identified. He saw the shock hit and he smiled. "Hello, Gabriel. It's been a long time."


	6. Reconciliation and Redemption

"Jophiel?"

The sound of his name spoken by one who knew him was a heady feeling. However, it had nothing on how it felt when Gabriel's grace reached out to him. This was the first touch of grace that Spencer had felt since his own had been ripped out and it came from one that Spencer knew he would always be able to trust without a single doubt. Spencer accepted the touch and answered with one of his own. He knew Gabriel wasn't just greeting him. Was, in fact, making absolutely sure that he was who he said he was. "It's me, Gabriel." He promised gently. "It's really me."

There was just a moment more as Gabriel stared at him. Then, with all the exuberance the archangel had always shown, he launched himself off of the barstool and straight at Spencer. The two collided and Spencer easily caught him up and held him close. "You son of a bitch." Gabriel swore against his neck. His arms tightened briefly and he pressed a little closer until Spencer was quite intimately aware that his brother was still in a female form at the moment. Then he yanked back and caramel colored eyes glared hotly at him. This wasn't the face that everyone else got to see. This wasn't the persona of Loki, or the Messenger of God. This was pure Gabriel, stripped right down to raw emotions, and that was more worrying than anything else so far. "Where the hell have you been? I looked everywhere I could for you! You just, _vanished_. Cas said you weren't even upstairs anymore!"

"Cas?" Who was Cas?

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Castiel. That's not important. What's important is that he said you were gone. I thought something had really happened to you!"

A flare of pain flashed through Spencer. With their graces still touching, that pain was easily felt by Gabriel, who reacted almost immediately by reaching out to take Spencer's hand and sending him a wave of love and comfort. Spencer drew it in; he basked in it. It was like cool water over parts of him that still felt burned and scraped raw. "It's a long story."

It looked like he wasn't the only one with one of those. There were raw spots in Gabriel's grace that spoke of pain and grief far deeper than any human would ever be able to understand. Something had happened and whatever it was, it was bad. It had left wounds on him that had yet to heal. Gabriel was hurting. He was in _pain_. And Spencer had never been able to handle seeing any of his family in pain. He didn't even think before reaching out to soothe what injuries he could in just this simple touch. When Gabriel wavered under it, Spencer drew him in again, cradling him this time much like he would a child. "What happened to _you_ , Gabriel? Who hurt you?"

"It's a long story." Gabriel echoed his words back to him. He sighed and burrowed in a little, nose pressing against Spencer's neck. "I've got a big bottle of mead strong enough even for us and a private penthouse. Want to get really freaking drunk and trade sob stories?"

Spencer couldn't help the laugh that slipped free. "Actually, that sounds perfect. I just have to let my friends know I'm leaving and them I'm yours."

"Friends?" Gabriel tipped his head up just enough to arch an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, friends. _Human_ friends." He clarified. When Gabriel's look only grew more curious, he added "Part of that long story. Just give me a minute to let them know I'm leaving."

"I'll come with you."

The words were said playfully and with an eyebrow wiggle that suggested trouble. Spencer had no doubt that Gabriel would play this up, too, putting the body he was currently wearing to good use. But it was what Spencer caught underneath all that that made his decision for him. Playful though he might act, letting his trickster side show through, underneath all of it was the need to be close to a brother he'd apparently thought lost, and a fear of letting him out of sight. Spencer didn't comment on those. He knew better than that. He just shook his head as Gabriel shifted to his side and wrapped a hand around his arm. "Be nice." He warned him. "Only two of them have any idea who I am. The third is new and I don't need you blowing my cover." Then he lifted his hand. A snap had a tray appearing in one hand, with the drinks his friends had ordered. Another one had the room returning to normal.

Gabriel, the little shit, put an extra sway in his hips as he walked with Spencer back to the table, and he leaned in a little more towards him. "I've been a bad influence on you." The words were almost a purr, full of amusement and a bit of deviousness. "Snapping things up here and there. You're stealing my moves, sweetheart."

"I think we both know who exactly stole that from whom." Spencer pointed out dryly.

The sound of Gabriel's laughter filled the air just as the two reached the table.

Three heads looked up as Spencer set the tray down. Ashley looked both curious and slightly knowing as her eyes traveled over Spencer, down to where Gabriel still hung on her arm, and then back to Spencer. She didn't know Spencer well enough to know just how atypical this was for him. Not just the beautiful-woman-on-his-arm part, but the fact that he had anyone there at all. Spencer was notorious for _not_ picking up people. Derek and Emily both knew that, however, and the looks they were giving him were curious, with just a hint of worry edging on Emily's. After all, she was the one that knew he'd been going to check on something.

Spencer tried to put on his best smile for them. "Hey guys, sorry it took me a bit. I ran into an, old friend of mine by the bar. Guys, this is, Gabby." There was only a brief hesitation before he gave that name, a small second where his brain stalled. He couldn't help the little flare of amusement he felt as he said it, though, and he felt Gabriel's as well. He'd always had a great sense of humor. "Gabby, these are my friends—Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, and Ashley Seaver."

Smile brightening, Gabriel shifted a little, pressing deliberately up against Spencer's side. He slipped his hand off Spencer's arm to curl it around his waist and Spencer instinctively adjusted so that his arm was around Gabriel's shoulders. "Hey there." Gabriel said, giving a wave. When he dropped his hand, he brought it to rest against Spencer's stomach and he snuggled in against him, pretty much making this look as sexual as possible. "We were just coming to let you guys know I'm stealing your boy for a while. We've got some, _catching up_ to do." The words were practically dripping with innuendo. Spencer had never met someone who had the ability to make everything sound so damn sexual the way that Gabriel could.

 _I am going to beat you._ Spencer sent to Gabriel.

 _Promises, promises._

"You sure you guys don't want to stick around a bit?" Emily offered, smiling politely even as her eyes took on a calculating look that Spencer had seen her use plenty of times when she was trying to profile someone. "We'd love to hear some stories from when you knew Spencer."

Immediately Spencer felt Gabriel's laughter and he knew whatever the trickster said next had a high likelihood of being as embarrassing as possible. Before he could get a word out, Spencer blurted out "I'm sure." He cleared his throat and tried not to flush as everyone looked at him with varying degrees of humor. "Maybe another time, Emily. Gabby and I have a lot to talk about. I'll see you guys at work tomorrow, all right?"

Really, after that, it was too easy to slip away, to pull Gabriel away from the table and head towards the door. They weren't even halfway across the room before Gabriel tightened his grip and took flight. Prepared for it, Spencer easily masked their exit, making sure no one would see two people vanishing in the middle of the room.

They landed smack dab in the middle of a rather large and opulent living room. Gabriel broke away from Spencer's side with one small squeeze and moved over to the hutch at the side of the room. Not even halfway there, the illusion he'd woven around himself dropped and the body of the woman faded away, leaving behind the vessel that Spencer was much more familiar with—one he had assisted in making, actually. "Make yourself comfortable." Gabriel called back over his shoulder. "I got a feeling this is gonna take a while. What's it been? Four, five hundred years?"

"Close to five, I believe." Spencer took a seat on Gabriel's couch—his insanely comfortable couch—and pulled off his shoes before curling his legs up and tucking his feet in. He was turned sideways, knees up in front of him but tipped to rest against the back of the couch, just like his shoulder. It left the other end perfectly open for Gabriel to take. They'd be able to face one another and talk easily.

Gabriel came over to the couch with a big, old fashioned jug in hand and two glasses. When he got close he braced one hand on the back of the couch and hopped over, dropping down with a thump. He didn't say anything until after he'd uncorked the jug and poured them each a glass. Handing one over to Spencer, he held his up and waited for Spencer to clink their glasses together. They each downed theirs in one drink. Spencer was quiet as well, content for the moment to just watch, to just sit here in the presence of a brother he trusted, the heady feeling of grace right up against his own. When his grace has first come back, Spencer had wanted to go see Gabriel, to go make sure that he was still okay. Fear had kept him from doing it. Fear of what might've happened while he was 'gone'. Fear of how Gabriel would react. He should've known better on the second one. Tough and terrifying though Gabriel might appear to others, especially the Loki aspect of his personality, he had never been anything to Spencer that Spencer couldn't trust explicitly.

It was as Gabriel was pouring their next drink that the silence was finally broken. "So, seeing as how you're not dead and all—where you been?"

The blunt question had Spencer snorting. "Here." He said flatly, taking his glass back and swallowing down a drink he didn't even taste. "On earth."

"Ahh. Decided I made this whole hiding thing look so glamorous you just had to try it out for yourself, hm?"

There was a layer of bitterness over those words, with an undercurrent of hurt. Spencer tried not to wince at the accusation he felt. "Do you honestly think I'd do that to you without letting you know?" Did he really think that Spencer would treat him that way? He watched as Gabriel's wings shuffled behind him in a sort of sheepish gesture. Abruptly, Spencer shook his head, and he held up a hand to stop whatever Gabriel was going to say next. Snapping at him was pointless and Gabriel had a right to be worried and hurt; he didn't know what had happened. Spencer drained what was left of his glass like it was a shot. When he spoke, his voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "I didn't choose to leave you all. I didn't exactly get a choice in the matter at all."

Everything on Gabriel wiped away under a wave of absolute shock. " _What_?"

Staring down into his glass like it would hold the answers to the universe, Spencer curled in on himself just the slightest bit. He didn't want to have to say this to Gabriel because he knew his brother would ask questions—questions that the team had left well enough alone. With them, he could sidestep, hide, or outright deny. With Gabriel? That wouldn't work. He would want answers that Spencer didn't want to give. Spencer didn't want to talk about this at all. He didn't want to _think_ about it. The pain it caused was still so strong in him. It showed now despite his best efforts. "It wasn't long after my last visit to you. I snuck back, as careful as always," He'd always been so careful, making sure no one knew where he'd been, could never track him back to the archangel-in-hiding, "but I apparently wasn't careful enough. I was, ambushed when I landed. My grace was…ripped out, and I Fell."

"Holy shit." Gabriel breathed out. He sounded stunned and furious at the same time and the room around them glowed with the power he was fighting to restrain while in the distance thunder rumbled. Behind him, his wings were lifted high in a gesture of defense and protection. " _Joph_. Who…?"

"Don't ask me that. Please, Gabriel, don't ask me that."

Spencer's voice cracked halfway through and that was it for Gabriel. In a flash he was across the couch and spilling into Spencer's lap. Their glasses had vanished into thin air. Warm hands drew Spencer's head in until he was able to bury his face against Gabriel's neck. There, sheltered against the other archangel, he was wrapped up in grace and wings and arms that had always provided love and comfort and which had never hurt him. There were no words that Gabriel could use to express his sorrow over what had happened to Spencer—to Jophiel. To force an angel to Fall was essentially a War Crime, in human terms. It was horrifying and it wasn't done. For someone to do that to him, to one of the gentlest angels that Gabriel had ever known, made him hurt so badly.

The feel of Gabriel's grace against his was a balm to the wounded archangel, though. To feel his brother meant the world to him. It didn't make everything better, but it made it easier to bear. He reached back out to it in a need that no human would be able to understand. A need for communion, to mesh and share and _embrace_. Once, it had been how all angels communicated, all the time, until time had gone and angels had changed. Until secrets were started. To commune, you opened yourself up entirely to the other being with a love and trust that was absolute. This was the single most intimate thing an angel could do with another angel. Everything was seen and felt. No secrets could be kept this way. Spencer hadn't felt that in such a long time and his grace was crying out for it.

There was just a second of hesitation on Gabriel's part. Spencer felt it and drew back, tried to reign himself in. His hands clenched down on Gabriel's hips as he fought to control himself.

Gabriel made a pained sound and his own hands tightened on Spencer. Then, suddenly, his grace was there, not just holding Spencer's but _opening_ to it.

Everything that had happened since they'd last seen one another came out in that sharing of grace. Gabriel saw everything; he saw Jophiel return to Heaven, saw the ambush, saw as a brother they both trusted did one of the most despicable things that an angel could do to another, and he saw every single moment of those human lives laid out before him.

In turn, Spencer saw just as much. He saw the archangel's life while he'd been gone. The years of playing pagan, the things he'd done. And he saw every single moment of the apocalypse—from the moment Gabriel met the vessels right up to that horrible night in Elysian Fields when the brother they both loved shoved his blade straight through Gabriel's heart. He saw after, too, when Gabriel woke up in that same hotel, miraculously alive, the apocalypse over.

The memories washed over the both of them and they could only cling to each other underneath it and wrap around one another even tighter. The need to get even closer had them pressing their bodies together while their joined graces almost sang in the joy of communion.

The reaction of their vessels was secondary to everything else. Intimacy with grace was how angels loved. Sharing and opening themselves up. Grace sex, as Gabriel had once jokingly called it. It was emotional and spiritual and so much deeper than any other connection. Physical sex, the way that humans do, was something that could only be done when wearing a vessel. Few angels ever experienced it. But Gabriel had, and he'd showed Spencer. He'd showed him how to use the body he wore to gain so much pleasure, and in turn Spencer had shared himself, body and grace, and offered the archangel-in-hiding a connection to home that he hadn't had anymore. That was exactly what they were doing for each other now.

They connected grace just as much as bodies. It had been a long, long time for the both of them since they'd been able to commune with another angel this way, let alone another _archangel_. They weren't saying anything against the angels of lesser ranks; there was just something different about the firstborn. Meshing grace with one of the originals, one whose power was as strong if not stronger than their own, was amazing. There was no fear of overwhelming the other and actually hurting them, as could happen between an archangel and an angel of lesser rank. This was wrapping up with another being who was just as strong as you and who gave back as good as they got.

More than that, though, this was connecting with someone to whom they had once been so close with. All the archangels had their bond together as a group, as well as separate bonds with each other. At one time, Gabriel and Spencer had been extremely close. Closer than many. They were both known for their sunny dispositions up in Heaven. Back then, Gabriel's pranks had been more in fun, brother playing with brother, or sister. He'd always had a joke and a laugh for anyone. His joy had been infectious and his laughter had rung through Heaven with a beauty that made all stop to listen. Beside him, Spencer had been more subdued, but no less joyful. His presence alone had often been enough to make the others smile. There was something in the way that father had made him that had just seemed to bring a smile to most.

Their joy as they came together now was made stronger by so much time apart. Spencer relished the feel of the younger archangel in his arms as he pulled him in close and Gabriel settled more comfortably in his lap. A thought from Gabriel changed their location, taking them from the couch to the bed, and Spencer didn't protest. Six beautiful golden wings rose up from Gabriel's back and flared out in a display meant to show joy and love and then they drew in around him. Spencer answered in kind. He enjoyed the soft gasp Gabriel let out as Spencer's own six wings rose up from his back. They were the color of the sunrise, all bright yellows and orange and hints of pinks and reds. They were unique and beautiful and Gabriel had always loved them. He loved it now as the light of them wrapped around him and sheltered him in a way no one had in far too long.

The joining of their bodies was really only secondary to everything else. It was just a physical manifestation of the connection their grace was building. There, together, they gave and took in equal measure, and in that they both found a comfort that had been missing for too long.

* * *

Afterwards, the two lay tangled together in Gabriel's large bed, their bodies pressed together and their wings lying loose around them. Gabriel was on his back, Spencer draped half over him. One of Spencer's hands traced lightly over the bit of hair on the chest under his cheek. What they'd both seen in each other, what they'd felt, was still humming through them. Spencer's mind drifted over what he'd seen and the pain that he'd felt inside of Gabriel.

"You're thinking too loud." Gabriel murmured into his hair. "What's so important you can't bask a little first, hm?"

There was a second in which Spencer debated answering. Then, he turned his face in a little and nuzzled against Gabriel's soft skin. "You miss him." He said softly. It wasn't a question. He could feel Gabriel's grief for the human he'd lost, even if he'd never really had the chance to have him; the heartache he felt when he thought about him. He didn't even have to clarify _who_ he was talking about.

Under him, he felt Gabriel's chest move as he snorted. His tone, when he spoke, was dry and heavy with sarcasm. "You know, most people don't talk about other men when they're in bed with someone."

Spencer wasn't deterred, though. He knew Gabriel far too well. "You love him."

The room went quiet for a long moment. Gabriel shifted a little under him and then sighed. "It doesn't matter." He said in a voice gone soft.

"Of course it matters." How could he say it didn't? Twisting, Spencer folded his hands over Gabriel's chest and rested his cheek on them to better be able to look at him.

Gabriel let out another sigh even heavier than the last and he wiped a hand down his face. He looked even more tired than before and fragile in a way he wouldn't let just anyone see. "It can't matter." He corrected himself, closing his eyes. There was just a hint of bitterness to his words. "He's trapped down there with Mike and Lucy and I can't get him out. I'm not strong enough to pull him away from them."

"Not alone."

Caramel eyes immediately snapped open and locked right on Spencer's. "What? 'Feel, no. No…"

Shifting his hand, Spencer pressed a finger against Gabriel's lips, silencing him. "He doesn't deserve to be there, Gabriel. Whatever sins he's committed in life, he's paid for them long ago. I can't just sit back and allow it to continue on when I know I can do something about it." He drew his hands back and laid them under his chin once more. Thinking about what he was offering was enough to have his grace quivering and his wings trembling, but he didn't take it back. Didn't change his mind. This was the right thing to do; no matter how he felt about it.

There was a soft rustle as Gabriel's wings drew up and wrapped around Spencer just as Spencer's wings had earlier sheltered him. They curled over him and held him close in an offer of comfort that was sort of for the both of them, even if he told himself it was just for Spencer. There was no one better than Gabriel who would know just how much it would hurt Spencer to fly down there with him and see their brothers in there. To see Lucifer for the first time since he'd originally been locked away. Gabriel knew, and he knew just how amazing gift it was for Spencer to offer to help him go there, without any sign of hesitation. His wings drew a little tighter as if to shelter his brother from what was to come. "You're an amazing being, Jophiel."

"I'm just me." He wasn't anything special, he knew.

"Just you is pretty damn amazing to me."

Embarrassment colored Spencer's cheeks and showed in the shuffle of his wings. He felt Gabriel's chest vibrate with his laughter and he didn't hesitate to pinch his brother's side. "Shut up." Planting his hands on Gabriel's chest, he pushed up, breaking the cocoon the wings had made around him. "If we're going to do this, now would be a good time. My team has the next two days off."

"Now?" Gabriel repeated, stunned. He sat up and stared at Spencer as the other archangel clothed himself with just a thought. "You want to do this _now_?"

"You're telling me you want to _wait_?" Spencer shot back.

They both knew the answer to that. Every minute they waited was another moment that Gabriel's human was in the hands of their two older, pissed off brothers. Spencer had been mediator often enough between the two to know how bad it could get just standing between them. That had been bad enough, and he wasn't human, nor had he done anything to turn their wrath his way. He had no doubt that Lucifer and maybe even Michael would turn their wrath on Sam Winchester.

Spencer held his hand out to his brother and tried not to let his fear show. "Let's go save your human."

* * *

The sight in front of Spencer made the trip he'd just taken more than worth it. Invisible to the humans nearby, he leaned against the wall of this rather impressive 'panic room' and watched as his brother knelt beside the body of his human and oh-so-carefully returned the bruised and battered soul of Sam Winchester back to where it belonged, what little grace Spencer could spare being leant to his brother to help. The sight of that soul was still enough to make Spencer cringe. The damage that had been done to it, that his _brothers_ had done, was appalling, and it broke a part of Spencer deep down inside, a part of him that had started aching at the sight of them.

They had fought hard for the souls inside the Cage. It'd taken Gabriel and Spencer both, with a little help from Michael in the end, to get them free. But now the Cage was as it should be. Two archangels, alone, with only one another for company, and only one another to blame for their prison.

Spencer had done everything in his power to heal at least some of the damage done to Sam's soul. The rest would take time, though. Hopefully, Gabriel's presence would be able to help. Spencer wished he could be more sure, but he was so tired, his grace worn down low from everything he'd done. He was going to be lucky to make his flight back home.

Still, he stayed where he was until he saw Sam's soul connect once more with his body. Only then did he cut off the flow of his grace to Gabriel and silently take his leave.

At first Spencer flew blindly. He knew he was going to be down for the count for the next little while, his grace depleted so low his vessel's needs were going to kick in just to give him time to recover, and every inch of him was already aching.

He didn't know where to go. Going home right now to an empty apartment was the last thing that he wanted. He needed to be with someone. He needed to be with a person he could trust to help take care of him while his grace was so weakened. His first instinct was Derek; the man was his best friend and he'd seen Spencer at some of his low points as a human. But, no…Derek was still fighting in some ways to try and understand this. His emotions would get in the way and that wasn't something that Spencer could handle right now. He couldn't handle the rawness of someone else's panic when he had his own pain and grief to deal with.

There was only one person he could think of to go to. Someone he knew would take care of him, help him, and who wouldn't push him until Spencer was ready. Someone he knew he could trust to keep their cool.

Spencer had just enough strength to make sure that no one was in the living room before he landed. Weakened the way he was, his landing wasn't perfect, and he crashed into the coffee table before tumbling down in a heap to the ground. At least he had enough peace of mind to pull his wings in so they wouldn't be seen. He did it in just enough time, too. Only seconds after his crash landing, Aaron Hotchner appeared at the entry to the hallway, his service weapon in his hand and a ready look on his face. One look at who was lying on his floor and he lowered his weapon and was rushing forward.

"Reid." Aaron dropped down to his knees at Spencer's side and reached out for him. The firm hand that settled on his shoulder steadied Spencer more than anything else had. Sharp eyes ran over him in a quick assessment. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Too weak to lift himself up, Spencer could only lay there and shake his head. "No." At the look Aaron gave him, he amended "Not anywhere humans can see or heal."

"Let's get you up off the floor." The safety was clicked on to Aaron's gun and then he was tucking it in the back of his pants before he reached out for Spencer once more. "Can you stand?"

It was sort of embarrassing to admit that he didn't really think he could. He tried, though. With Aaron's hands bracing him, he tried to put his hands down, to push himself up, but his arms wobbled and he would've face planted back to the ground if Aaron hadn't managed to get an arm under him and banded across his chest. "All right, all right. Just lean into me. I'll do most of the work; I just need you to lean against me."

"'M too heavy." Spencer slurred out. He felt so damn _tired_.

Through heavy eyes he caught sight of just a small flash of a smile over his friend's lips. "I think I can handle it."

Spencer wanted to make a protest against what he knew was a dig as his size. The team had always teased him about being so slender. Back when he'd first joined, Derek and Elle had always joked about a stiff breeze being able to blow him away. Spencer thought about telling Aaron that his true size was bigger than he could know, but he was just too tired to form the words, too tired for much of anything. All he really could do was lean against him as Aaron drew him upright and pretty much gathered him up like he was a small child.

It didn't really register on Spencer _where_ they were going. All he knew was that he was somehow managing to shuffle his feet forward. Then suddenly they were stopping and he found himself being lowered onto something soft. "There. Just lay down, Reid. That's it." Aaron murmured.

Spencer felt almost like a child as his boss, his _friend_ , laid him down on the soft bed and then proceeded to strip him of his shoes and even his pants. The archangel tried to swat a hand at him in protest at that one but Aaron just brushed it off. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before, Reid, and you're going to be a lot more comfortable without a belt digging in."

His exhaustion was too much. The last thing Spencer knew before he passed out was the low sound of Aaron's voice and then the soft push of a gentle hand brushing his hair back from his face.


	7. Recovery

Spencer slept for twenty eight hours straight. His grace needed the time to recover and so did his vessel. Diving into hell wasn't an easy task. When Castiel had done it to rescue Dean, he'd gone with a whole contingent of angels and they'd just barely made it. Angelic lives had been lost in that effort. And that was only to descend into the _Pit_. Where Gabriel and Spencer had gone was much worse than that. They'd had to fly through all the levels of Hell, straight down to the bottom, to the place that contained two of the strongest archangels God had made. They'd had to fight against Lucifer, _Lucifer,_ to retrieve Sam's soul, and Spencer was convinced they never would've done it without Michael's interference. In the end, it'd been his fighting inside that had distracted Lucifer just long enough for Spencer to wrap Sam's soul up inside of his wings. Not just Sam's soul, but another as well, one that Michael had practically thrust towards them. Spencer had cradled them within his wings and then let Gabriel fly them out of there with all the speed the Messenger possessed.

Once they'd fought their way topside, Spencer had holed himself up in the place that Gabriel brought them, some sort of safe house he'd assumed, while his brother went to the Winchesters. Because, while rescuing Sam, they had discovered something very, very important—Sam's body wasn't there. Someone had resurrected his body, without his soul.

While Spencer waited, he tucked Sam's soul in close, letting the natural light of his grace work to begin healing, and he'd focused on the other soul, one which had sustained far less damage than Sam's. This was the soul of Michael's vessel and as such had been more protected. Michael had shielded his vessel, unlike Lucifer. He'd protected him. Spencer had only to extend a small amount of healing to make it whole once more. Whole enough to bring close, to read and understand, and to finally grant the soul's wish. A light brush of grace sent it up to its final resting place. Adam Milligan's soul shone with peace as it returned to its Heaven.

Spencer had focused then on doing what healing he could for Sam's soul before Gabriel came back for him. From there, the choice had been easy to make to stay hidden, to keep his name away from this. He had passed Sam's soul to Gabriel, had watched soul and grace both brighten as they came in contact with one another, the glow of their joy in one another a beautiful thing to see. Maybe they hadn't admitted anything to one another—hadn't even kissed, Spencer knew from Gabriel's memories—but the very essence of who they were recognized one another and rejoiced in each other's presence.

Silently, invisibly, Spencer had leant the last of his strength to Gabriel to help guarantee that Sam's return went off without a hitch.

All of this had left the archangel drained lower than ever before. He and Gabriel had done a job that could've destroyed them if they hadn't gotten lucky. A few days of recovery were to be expected.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to warn _Aaron_ about that.

Spencer was still mostly exhausted when he woke. His grace was still pretty low, too, as he proved to himself by snapping and changing his clothes. He could do it, but he was still tired. It'd be smart to limit his grace use for another few days until he could recover a little more.

A look around the room had him surprised as he pushed himself up. This apartment, as far as he knew, only had two bedrooms—Aaron's and Jack's. And this definitely wasn't Jack's room. That meant that Aaron had put him in his room. Had given up his bed so that Spencer could have somewhere to rest.

He didn't have long to sit and wonder about it. Just as he finally managed to sit up—without falling over—the bedroom door opened and the man he'd just been thinking about stuck his head in. One look and the door was pushed open and Aaron was striding quickly towards the bed. "Reid!" Everything about the man was practically radiating relief. He took a seat beside Spencer on the bed without any sign of hesitation and reached out to push his bangs back and palm briefly over his forehead in a gesture that spoke of the father inside of him. Spencer sat there, feeling about as weak as an infant, and let Aaron indulge himself for the moment in checking Spencer's temperature and looking at his eyes in what was most likely another assessment. Inside, Spencer could feel the passage of time, knew just how long he'd been out, and he knew that Aaron had a right to worry. Even if he hadn't known, he would've now. "You've been out cold for a little over a day." Aaron told him. He must've finally been satisfied with whatever he'd discerned from his check of Spencer because he dropped his hand back down. "I didn't know what to do for you, but I had a feeling a hospital wouldn't be a smart choice."

"This was perfect, Hotch. Thank you. And, I'm sorry." The words weren't enough, he knew, but they were what he had. "I was a little, frazzled when I arrived. I should've warned you that my body would need time to rest."

"You ran a pretty constant fever. Not too high, but enough."

Spencer winced a little. Damn. He lifted a hand to try and wipe it over his face and was appalled at how shaky it was. He could only manage to briefly rub at his eyes before he lost the strength to do even that and his hand dropped limply back to his lap once more. "I really am sorry, Hotch. I just, I used a lot of grace. Too much, almost. When it gets down that low, it kind of leaves an angel human for a while. Our grace usually sustains our vessel but when it's low human needs kick in." Sighing, he looked up at his boss, his friend, and found dark eyes watching him with concern, yes, but also with the steadiness that had helped prompt his decision to come here. It took a lot to throw Aaron. No matter what came his way, he always stood tall, always held on. That strength and practicality had been exactly what Spencer had needed. "I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced you or caused any trouble. I just, I needed somewhere safe."

Something flashed through Aaron's eyes at that too fast for Spencer to really take note of what it was. He wasn't strong enough to really sense things. Hell, he was barely strong enough to sit here. Even now, his body was swaying a little and slight tremors shook his hands.

He wasn't the only one to notice those things. Aaron took them all in and he straightened up a little. "If you're mostly human right now, your body needs more than rest. It needs food as well. Why don't you get comfortable while I go get something to eat? It's just about breakfast time."

"Oh, Hotch—Jack…"

"Is fine." Aaron cut in. "He's with his Aunt right now." Pushing up from the bed, Aaron gave him a firm look, one of the ones that everyone on the team had learned to heed over the years. "Scoot back and get comfortable against the pillows. I'll be right back with breakfast. You need anything, call out. _Don't_ try getting up. If your legs are anything like your hands, I doubt you'd make it far."

That was a bit of an understatement. Spencer doubted he'd really be able to do more than stand up. He needed food, water, rest, and energy, not exactly in that order.

It took him almost the entire time that Aaron was gone just to scoot himself back to the head of the bed. He was just pushing the pillow behind him and finally laying back with a sigh when his boss came back in. The man bore a tray of what looked to be simple yet filling food. Oatmeal, fruit, toast, juice, and _coffee_. Spencer hummed happily at the scent of coffee.

Chuckling, Aaron brought the tray over, opening up the legs and setting it over Spencer's lap just like he was a child. "I thought you might like some coffee. The rest of it, well, you said you were running a bit towards the human side of things, so I tried to get you things that might help return a bit of your energy to you."

"Thanks, Hotch." Spencer said, smiling at him. "Really, thank you. I appreciate all of this so much."

"You want to thank me? Eat."

Spencer chuckled and let himself turn his attention to the food. Privately, he had to bless Aaron for choosing what he did for breakfast. With still shaky hands it would've been hard to eat things like eggs or cereal. Oatmeal stuck enough to the spoon to not shake off when Spencer's hand trembled. Toast was easy to hold, and fruit could be speared on a fork. They were all things that, with a bit of care, he could eat on his own. "So, have I missed anything important?"

At his question, Aaron settled in a little more at the foot of the bed, leaning back against the bedpost. It gave Spencer a bit of space while still allowing the man to watch him. Spencer had to fight back the bit of amusement he felt at seeing the fatherly side of Aaron triggered. It wasn't the first time the man had turned it his direction. He did it each time Spencer was hurt, or sick. The archangel resigned himself to be watched extra closely for the next few days. Then all those thoughts faded away as Aaron answered his question. "I called both of us in sick to work yesterday. Dave covered for us with the others, but since they know you don't get sick, I imagine you'll have a few questions to answer with them."

"I missed work?" Spencer's spoon hung in the air, halfway to his mouth. When he and Gabriel left, it'd been the start of the weekend. Had it really taken those two days to do it? Spencer knew that Hell ran on a different clock, just the same as Heaven did. Time in Hell ran faster, and it ran even faster down by the Cage. He thought he'd calculated it all correctly but apparently not. His calculations had only accounted for a day of earth time.

"Don't worry about work." Aaron reassured him. "It was a paperwork day, and from the sounds of it, you didn't really have a choice on needing the rest."

There was an unspoken question under all of that. Spencer heard it loud and clear. He knew what Aaron wanted here. What he deserved. Taking a bite of his oatmeal, Spencer thought carefully about what to say and how to say it. He was grateful that Aaron kept quiet and simply waited him out. It gave Spencer enough time to figure things out.

His oatmeal was half gone when he finally decided to speak again. Picking up his fork, he speared a piece of strawberry, staring down at it for a moment. "I feel safe in assuming you know the story of Lucifer." He asked, sneaking a look up at his friend. He didn't really need Aaron's small nod to confirm it. Pretty much everyone knew some variation of Lucifer's story. Blowing out a breath, Spencer dropped his gaze back down to the fruit, taking a moment to gather courage. "Things didn't happen quite the way that the world thinks. Once, Lucifer was one of our Father's most beloved children. The Morningstar." A soft smile of remembrance touched Spencer's lips at the memories of one of the brightest and most beautiful of his brothers. The smile faded, though. "But when Dad created humans and ordered us to bow down before you, to love you more than anything, Lucifer refused. He argued that humans were flawed and that he could never love them the way he loved our Father. Really, I think Gabriel's description suits better. I love him, but Lucifer was like a spoiled child, jealous that Dad loved humans more."

A shaky breath slid from Spencer. This was a story he didn't like to tell. One he didn't even like thinking about. Very carefully he laid his fork down and sat back against the pillows. Aaron was watching him, he knew. He could feel his gaze. But this was so much easier if he didn't have to look at him. If he didn't have to let his friend see the pain in his eyes.

"Everyone knows that Dad cast Lucifer out of Heaven. Humanity knows of how Lilith was made, a human soul twisted into the first demon. What the world doesn't know is the real punishment that Lucifer suffered. Under Dad's orders, Michael fought with Lucifer and cast him down, sending him into the Cage, deep in the pits of Hell. On that Cage are over six hundred seals keeping my brother locked inside. Only sixty six needed to be broken to free him. Last year, in St. Mary's Convent, the last seal was broken and my brother once more walked the earth."

In a low voice, Spencer walked Aaron through the things he'd learned from sharing with Gabriel. He gave his friend a bare bones account, omitting things that weren't important. He told him about the vessels, about Sam and Dean Winchester. _That_ was a bit of an amusing shock in the midst of this crap story.

"The _Winchesters_?"

Spencer saw as it clicked in Aaron's head. It was a fascinating thing to watch the process as the profiler's mind ran over everything and came to the right conclusion. "They're hunters, like what you told us about. The delusions in their files, those weren't delusions."

Smiling, Spencer nodded. "They're some of the best hunters out there. And they may have broken the world, pushed there by both Heaven and Hell, but they saved it, too."

He explained then, only briefly, about how Sam had saved the world. This, he'd seen in Sam's memories as he'd helped to heal him. He'd seen how Sam said 'Yes', how he fought and finally took control, and how he cast himself down into the Cage with both Michael and Lucifer. "He saved the world by sacrificing himself." Spencer said into the stunned silence of the room. "He saved us all. Even knowing the torture that awaited him, he saved us."

The soft prayer that slipped past Aaron's lips was so soft, Spencer had a feeling the man didn't even realize he was saying it.

Clearing his throat, Spencer picked up the coffee mug and took a drink of the slightly cool liquid. A tiny bit of grace helped to warm it back up. "I'm sure you're starting to piece together why I told you this story." He drew in a careful breath and watched as Aaron's gaze lifted to him once more. For the first time through his story, Spencer made himself watch the other man, made himself look as he finished his tale. "On Friday, I ran into my brother, Gabriel. I hadn't seen him in hundreds of years. It was with him that I learned about all of this. Most of it happened while I was still human. My brothers, they were locked away just shortly after I got my grace back. From Gabriel, I learned of what happened, and we went together to retrieve Sam's soul from the Cage. We resurrected Sam's soul, and sent the soul of Michael's vessel to Heaven where he wanted to be."

"You flew…to Hell." Aaron repeated slowly. "To rescue two human souls from a Cage that holds your two big brothers—Michael and _Lucifer_."

"It took a lot of grace. Lucifer didn't want to let go. If it weren't for Michael helping us, I don't know if we would've won." At the incredulous look that Aaron was giving him, the archangel started to shift in his seat, fiddling with his cup and dropping his gaze away. "I couldn't just leave them there. Sam didn't deserve that, and neither did Adam. They deserved to be free."

The room fell quiet for one long moment. Then, softly, "You are an amazing being, Spencer."

Color flooded Spencer's cheeks. "It was the right thing to do. They didn't deserve to be there. Lucifer—he's not the brother I once knew."

For a second Aaron was frozen in place. He recognized that look on Spencer's face. It was the same look Aaron saw on his own face every morning in the mirror since Hayley died. It was the look of someone who had loved another so very much, and who had lost. Startled by this revelation, Aaron just stared at him for a moment. "You loved him." He breathed out softly.

Spencer flinched ever so slightly, but he didn't deny it. "Oh, yes." His lip curled, just slightly bitter looking. "But he loved himself more—and Michael. And I didn't love him enough. Not the way that he wanted. Love humanity, our Father bade us, and I did. I do." Spencer blew out a shaky breath and looked away, unable to handle seeing the pity in his friend's eyes. "Lucifer never did. He wanted me to stand with him, to Fall with him, but I couldn't, and then…then we lost him. He was locked away in the Cage and I hadn't seen him since."

"Until now."

"Until now." Spencer echoed softly.

The room fell quiet then. Neither man said a word as Spencer slowly finished his breakfast. There wasn't anything that _could_ be said after a story like that.

The silence wasn't broken until Spencer was almost done eating. The sound of Aaron's cellphone ringing out in the living room broke through. The archangel watched as his boss hurried out to answer it. It only took a few minutes before he came back. The instant he did, Spencer was on alert. "There's a case." It wasn't really a question. He could see it on Aaron's face.

"You need to rest." Aaron said in lieu of an actual answer.

That was answer enough, though. Spencer pushed himself forward and forced his body to move. "I can rest on the jet, reading over the files with everyone else." When he saw Aaron start to protest, he firmed his spine, straightened his shoulders. "I can do my job, Hotch. I _need_ to do my job."

There was something there in his tone that Aaron recognized once more. Something that told him that Spencer wasn't lying; he _needed_ this. If there was anything that he could understand, it was the need to bury grief under work. He'd done it so many times himself. How could he deny Spencer the same thing? Sighing, he gave a small nod, and then he reached out to take the breakfast tray so that Spencer could actually stand up. "But you take it easy." He warned him firmly. "You told me you need rest and that's what you'll get. No pushing yourself, Reid. I mean it."

"Yes, sir." Spencer said smartly. He grinned as Aaron gave him a dry look before turning and walking away.


	8. Corazon

Working this case probably wasn't one of the smartest things that Spencer had ever done. He showed up with Aaron just shy of being late thanks to a quick pit stop for more coffee, and as he sank down into the chair in the round table room, he had to fight not to sigh loudly in relief. His body was already exhausted from what little he'd put it through so far. Really, he could've happily gone back to sleep for another day. It would've done wonders for his body. But, a case was a case, and he had a job to do. He'd just have to be a little careful this time around.

Everyone gave him strange looks as he came in, but only Ashley spoke up over it. "You feeling okay, Reid?"

"Yeah, fine." He tried for casual and hoped that it didn't fail as badly as he thought it had. "Why?"

She gave him a curious look, eyes narrowing just the slightest bit as they ran over him. "I just haven't seen you late since I started here."

"Have we started the briefing yet?" Spencer asked.

Penelope was coming in then and she answered him as she slipped down into the chair nearby. "Just about to, boy wonder."

Clearing his throat, Spencer sat back a little and cradled his cup in his hands, resting it on his knee in an effort to try and hide the slight tremor still there. Sadly, he had a bit of experience at how to hide shaking hands and other things. His stint with Dilaudid had helped him hone those skills. "Then I'm not late."

That worked to shut Ashley up a little. Later, Spencer might feel a bit bad for getting snippy with her. Right then he was just too tired and he was already battling an annoyingly painful headache—his body's way of letting him know that he was pushing it.

"Oh. Yeah. Attention, intrepid BAU adventurers." Penelope said, drawing all their attention towards her. "The land of Bermuda shorts, white leisure suits, and sansabelt slacks requests your presence."

It was kind of amusing to hear three different voices answer her at almost the same time. "Vegas?" Dave asked, while Derek said "Arizona" and Emily added in "Palm Springs."

A hint of a smile ghosted over Aaron's lips before he wiped it away and gave them all a warning look that silenced them. "Please."

Huffing softly, Penelope shook her head. "I was going to say Miami, but point well made about the dizzying number of locales with unfortunate fashion tendencies."

Playfulness aside, the group turned their attention to the case being presented to them. Three men were dead, all found with shells in their eyes and mouths, and all found within a mile of each other in a mostly Latino neighborhood in Miami. One of them had been found with a decapitated _cat_. All of it screamed ritual and none of it screamed anything good. Spencer sat up, paying just a little more attention. Was this a case, or was it a _case_? He watched carefully as Penelope walked them through the victims. "Eduardo Guzman, homeless. He was shot to death seven days ago. Yanira Espinal, prostitute, bludgeoned to death. And then Victor Cabrera, he was an unemployed janitor. He was slashed with a machete yesterday, as was his cat."

"You know, considering the homeless man lived in that alley, all of the victims essentially were killed in their homes." Dave pointed out.

Derek nodded his head. "This took some time."

"In the open." Aaron said.

There was something vaguely familiar about some of this. The part of him that was _Spencer_ seemed to recognize it more than the rest of him. Not a big surprise, really. One place that angels had always held a bit of a blind spot was the details of other religions. Jophiel had been unique in his willingness to learn about the pagan side of things through his brother, Gabriel. Spencer Reid, however, had been fascinated by them. "You know," he said slowly, digging through his memories to try and find what he needed. "Cowrie shells and ritual offerings are common to a number of Afro-Caribbean religions."

"But the upside-down cross looks like Satanism." Emily said, pointing to one of the photos.

More photos were moved around. Derek shifted through them, glancing from one to the next. "The first two victims had fingers missing, but on this one, he took both hands."

"All of this could have been religious?" Ashley asked. She sounded, surprised. Like that hadn't quite occurred to her. Or, more like she had a hard time believing it. Whatever the next person said to answer that, he missed. All of his attention was back on the case.

Spencer stared at it all and tried to make sense of it. He only halfway heard as Aaron dismissed them all from the briefing and told them to get ready to go. It wasn't until Derek caught his arm that he really noticed the room starting to empty. Looking up, he found his friend's eyes full of concern. "Reid…" There was a moment of hesitation, a space in which he tried to figure out how to word what he wanted in such a public place. He finally settled on, "You don't look too great. Is everything all right?"

"I'll be fine." Spencer smiled and reached up to lightly pat Derek's arm. "When we get a chance, I promise, I'll explain later. Or, if I can't, I'll give Hotch permission to explain for me. But I'm okay. Just, tired."

"You sure? Cause Prentiss and I were a bit worried on Friday…"

It took just a second for Spencer's exhausted brain to connect why Friday would've worried them. Then it hit and he was laughing before he could stop himself. They were worried about him leaving with 'Gabby'? He had to remind himself that they had absolutely no idea who 'she' was. Spencer cast a quick look around the room and out of it to make sure that no one was nearby. Then, curling the hand that he'd been using to pat Derek's arm before, he braced just enough to lean in a little more. "Morgan, I promise you, it was fine. Gabby was my brother Gabriel in disguise, and he is the only other angel in existence I can assure you without a single doubt means me absolutely no harm."

The stunned look on Derek's face was enough to almost make him laugh again. Valiantly, he held it in. "Gabriel? As in, Gabriel the Messenger, the archangel?"

Spencer's lips curved into a soft, amused smile. "He always gets the awed reactions."

Footsteps broke into their conversation and the two looked over to see Aaron appear in the doorway. "Guys, we need to get going."

"Sorry, Hotch." Spencer and Derek chimed in at almost the same time.

The first step that Spencer took, he stumbled just slightly and mentally cursed the exhaustion that still filled his body. He was dragging as they made their way out into the bullpen. They were halfway across when Emily joined them, coming over from her desk, and Spencer was surprised to see that she held his go-bag as well. He always kept one underneath his desk just in case. They all did. She brought it over and he took it from her with a soft "Thank you."

"No problem." She said, pressing in against his side and slipping an arm around his waist in what looked to be a friendly gesture. It was a bit more than that, though. Her embrace had him responding by sliding an arm around her shoulders. To everyone else, they just looked as if they were walking together. No one could tell that Emily was using herself as a sort of brace to help prop Spencer up. She'd seen how tired he was and was helping him without making it obvious. For about the millionth time, Spencer thought to himself how blessed he was to have these amazing people in his life.

* * *

The ride out to Miami was spent discussing their case, as always. For Spencer, it was a bit of a throwback to 'old times'. To life before his grace had been returned. He felt tired, which had happened often when they'd worked back to back cases, and very, very human. This case was going to rely more on his profiling skills than any of his angelic skills. Some of them he could still use, of course. But it was better to let his grace simply recover on its own. What he'd done had been extensive. The flight to hell alone would've been enough to exhaust him for a few days. Healing a soul, even just a little bit, on top of all that? That definitely hadn't helped. Soul healing was a delicate process that required precision and control to make sure that his grace didn't overwhelm and end up hurting the soul even more.

Of call cases to be low on what Derek referred to as his 'mojo', it just had to be a religious one, though. A religious one that was based on Afro-Caribbean syncretic religions which had mostly come around during Spencer's human lifetimes. What knowledge Spencer had of them, he'd earned as Spencer Reid, not as Jophiel.

Once they arrived in Miami, everyone went off to their respective places, and after a brief silent communication between Aaron and Spencer, the recovering archangel ending up going with Derek down to Allapattah to visit a local community center their last victim used to frequent. The exhaustion, Spencer was able to hold at bay, but he had to stop at a random street vendor and quickly purchase a pair of sunglasses to help block out the light that was making his head pound. It was worth dealing with Derek's renewed worried looks just to get a bit of relief.

It wasn't that difficult to make it through the meeting at the community center. Frustrating, yes. Difficult, no. There was something telling him that things would've been a whole lot easier if he wasn't so damn _human_ right now. Then he chided himself for complaining about it. He'd done his job for years and years without the aid of his grace. Working one more case without it shouldn't be too hard. If he just pushed his grace down low, lived as human as possible for this case, he'd heal much faster. Sleep and a good meal wouldn't hurt, either.

He got those both not long after they went back to the station. With nothing more to do that night, the team went to the motel to catch some sleep. Spencer could see the others wanting to talk to him, but he could also see Ashley watching curiously, and he could feel his body getting heavier. There was one easy way around all this that would still explain to the others what was going on. Maybe it was cheating a bit, but, hell, who could blame him? Before he went off to his room, he stopped Aaron in the hallway and lightly touched his arm. When the man turned to him, Spencer cast a quick look over to the others and then back to Aaron. Lowly, he murmured "Would you explain things to them, please?" He saw Aaron's surprise. "They've got a right to know, Hotch, and I'd planned on explaining it myself tonight because I can tell they're worrying about just how human I seem to be right now. I just," A soft sigh slid from him. "I'm exhausted."

"I'll handle it." Aaron reassured him immediately. That look was back in his eyes, that fatherly one, and there was a piece of Spencer that warmed a little at the open affection. Aaron clapped a hand on Spencer's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "Eat something first, Reid. You need the fuel. I'll make sure to come wake you up in the enough time in the morning so don't worry about an alarm."

Half of that advice was at least something Spencer could follow. He was asleep before his head fully hit the pillow and he slept straight through until his boss woke him to head out the next morning.

* * *

One look at Derek's face was all it took for him to see that Aaron had done what he'd asked and told the others. How he'd managed to do it without alerting Ashley was anyone's guess. Not that it really mattered. What mattered was the stunned way that Derek was looking at Spencer as they drove to go see the religious expert that Penelope had dug up for them. Spencer smothered a yawn and slid down a little more in the passenger's seat while curling his hands more firmly around the coffee that his best friend had brought him. "I'm fine, Morgan." He said it without looking up, not needing to look up to know that he was still being watched.

"Are you sure?" Derek asked plainly. "I mean, Reid, after what Hotch told us—shit, kid."

Humor quirked up Spencer's lips. "Not a kid."

He snuck a look over and caught the tail end of the glare that his friend sent his way. Then Derek's eyes were back on the road. "You did an amazing thing, _kid_." He stressed that last word, making the both of them smile a little, before he turned serious again. "No one would've blamed you for sitting a case out and recovering."

"I need to work." Spencer said simply. It was the easiest truth. Work was much better than just lying around and thinking about what he'd seen. About what he'd gone through. Not that it was far from his mind. Not even this case could completely chase away those thoughts. They stayed in Spencer's mind, had replayed last night in his dreams. And, because this was Derek, some of those thoughts came out of his mouth now. "He didn't used to be like that. Lucifer." He added that last part on when he saw Derek's confusion. "He didn't used to be that way. Once, he was the most beautiful. There was a reason he was known as the Morningstar. You caught a glimpse of my grace when it came back to me, that bright light. Mine has nothing on the light of the Morningstar's grace when he once walked Heaven. To see him like that, down there…to see what he's turned into…"

"I'm so sorry, Reid."

Those four words didn't really make anything better. But somehow, they eased just a tiny it of tension inside of Spencer. "Thanks."

* * *

There was something off with their religious expert. With the headache pulsing under his skin and his grace still pushed down, Spencer couldn't quite place what it was, but something about him was off. Not quite right.

He made a note to bring it up with the others later.

* * *

Midway through giving the profile, Derek got a call from Penelope letting them know that their victims had all frequented the soup kitchen that Derek and Spencer had gone to yesterday. That in mind, the two set out together. Spencer had expected to just go to the community center and speak with a few people.

He hadn't expected _this._

The closer they got, the more Spencer could feel the _power_ thrumming along his skin. Not his power, not angelic power. No—godly power. He didn't need the chanting to know that the people inside were either summoning their god, or paying homage to him, or something along those lines. And their god was listening. Not doing anything, not harming them, not helping, just listening. It had Spencer calling on all the tricks that Gabriel had ever taught him to pull down and mask his already strained grace. By the time they walked through the doors, he was well hidden, at least to supernatural eyes. What he hadn't counted on was much more human eyes. Human eyes that had been blessed by their god and which carried the natural talent to see _more_.

Spencer dutifully backed his partner when Derek stepped towards the ceremony that this group of people were involved in. A small part of him wanted to tell the man to stop, to give them a moment. His own religion or not, it felt wrong to interrupt any such religious ceremony, most especially with the deity in question watching on. But as soon as the dark skinned man at the center stopped and Derek started to speak, Spencer felt the deity's presence vanish.

"We're not here to cause any trouble." Derek was saying firmly. "But, sir, please put that knife down."

The man immediately let go of his knife. It felt to the ground with a low clatter. All around, the others watched on as the man— _Julio_ , Spencer picked up—moved without hesitation or fear to come stand by Derek. "This is a House of God. You have no right to be here."

"We just would like to ask you some questions. We'd appreciate it if you came with us voluntarily." Derek said. "We're not here to create a spectacle."

Julio looked at Derek for a long second and then looked over his shoulder, right to Spencer. They locked eyes and Spencer felt his grace quiver a little as he recognized just how clearly this man could see. Not enough to know exactly what he was, but enough to know something. "I will go with you." There was no doubt about who he meant there.

* * *

They took Julio down to the police station and set him up in an interview room. There, they let him sit for a few minutes while they spoke with Penelope, gathering as much information about the man as possible. " _Okay_ ," She told them, her voice ringing out over the speakerphone. " _Your bad boy grew up in foster care. He did fifteen years in Apalachee Correctional for attempting to murder a police officer. He was also a member of a violent street gang known as_ _Los Machetes_."

"Subtle." Aaron said lowly.

"Damn." The detective with them sighed. When they turned his way, he made a frustrated sound before explaining. "They like to cut off the hands and sometime the heads of their victims."

"Can you get us some crime scene photos to look at?" Aaron asked.

The detective nodded. "I'll get someone on it."

Aaron nodded and turned back to the phone as the detective went to get them the photos. "Anything else, Garcia?"

" _I can tell you that Julio did his time without incident. He was released in 2003. He regularly visited his parole officer. There are no waves in these crime waters since he got out_."

"All right, thanks, baby girl." Derek said.

" _I shall await further instruction_."

Derek ended the call and slipped the phone down into his pocket. Then he turned to look at the window that allowed them to see into the interview room. "This guy's been eyeballing the mirror since he got here. Let's see what he has to say."

Before Derek could step away, Spencer reached out and caught his arm, stopping him. "Wait, Morgan. I think…I think maybe I should go in first."

"What?" Derek's surprise was easy to hear in his voice.

"Do you remember at the community center, he said he would come with me?" Spencer asked. Julio hadn't had that he'd come with _them_. He'd made a point of looking right at Spencer to say it and he'd kept up his observation of the archangel as they'd made their way back here. Spencer didn't mention to his friends that he was pretty sure this guy could see something different about him, though. They wouldn't let him go in there if they knew. Of that he was sure. And right now, him going in was their best option.

"If they already have a rapport…" Dave said lowly.

There was a pause as Aaron looked at Spencer like he suspected something. In the end, he gave a small nod. "You want Morgan to come with you?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, I'm all right. Thanks."

* * *

When he went in to speak with Julio, he'd expected the whole interview to be unlike any other one he'd done. He'd expected, something. What he _hadn't_ expected was to witness a true psychic vision. It wasn't a possession, though it almost appeared that way, and it wasn't a case of transpossession as the others thought. Transpossession is a form of religious hysteria in which a person wholeheartedly believes that they're being occupied by some form of deity. Spencer couldn't argue that the man had had a type of vision, not with Detective Manny right there, so he was forced to bite his tongue and try to work under the human constraints put on him.

Spencer did everything he could, playing his role, trying to keep his grace down as low as possible so that it wouldn't be noticed. He recited the words back to Julio and pretended that he didn't already know the translations to them.

"You have bad eggun on top of you that's spoiling your head." Julio told him. "Do a cleansing quickly."

 _That's a bit of an understatement._ Spencer thought wryly. Then again, he dared anyone to travel through Hell, to the Cage, back out with two souls, and then work to heal them and somehow _not_ have the need to cleanse themselves.

"Something's wrong." Julio said suddenly. "Can you feel it?"

As soon as his attention was brought to it, yes, he could. Not in the room, no…connected to Julio. There was something going on in connection to Julio.

"Someone's about to get hurt." Julio told him. His deep voice rang with authority.

The door to the interview room opened and Derek came in. The serious look on his face told Spencer that this wasn't good. "Your helper, the kid that took over your ritual when we brought you in here…"

"Elian." Julio interrupted.

Derek nodded. "My associates just found sale-weight heroin in his room. And an Nganga."

"Where is he?" Julio demanded.

"He's running."

Julio's hands slammed down on the table and he shot to his feet. This wasn't faked emotion. This was true, honest worry.

"Hey. Calm down." Derek snapped. He was braced, always ready for trouble, but Spencer could've told him that Julio wasn't going to be trouble for them.

"Please," Julio turned and begged them. "I gotta find him. He's got nobody but me."

"Do you think it's possible that Elian is our Palero?" Though he didn't believe it, Spencer still had to ask.

Still, he knew the answer even before Julio shook his head no. "No. No, he's a good kid."

"Then why did he run?" Derek asked.

"He must be using again. His mama and papa were junkies. I took him in, got him clean, taught him right from wrong. Please. I gotta find him before he gets hurt."

They couldn't deny the sincerity of his words. Derek and Spencer exchanged a brief look before Derek turned back to Julio. "The entire police force is out looking for him."

"He's of the streets." Julio reminded them. "He's gonna go so far under, he'll be gone for good. I'm your best chance to find him."

What other choice did they have? They had to let him help. They needed answers; answers they weren't getting anywhere else. And this man right here was their best choice. Again, Derek and Spencer shared a look, and this time Spencer gave a tiny nod, hoping his friend understood what he was saying. It was time to trust him. Time to see what Julio could do for them.

* * *

The night ended in a way that Spencer hadn't anticipated. It also ended in a way that he knew was later going to get him in quite a bit of trouble with his boss. Breaking away from the team and slipping out of the house on your own while the others were busy was never a good thing. Getting caught by the Unsub didn't exactly help matters. Still, in the end, it worked out. The Professor, the one that Spencer had felt was so _off_ during their meeting, was now behind bars and his hopes of impressing his father with his work were pretty well dashed. Elian was recovering in a hospital from the drug overdose the Professor had forced on him, and Julio was with him nursing a concussion of his own. All in all, a well solved case, even if it wasn't their best done.

Any lecture he was going to get was delayed by the fact that he passed out on the couches almost the instant they got onto the jet and he slept the entire trip back. Anything that they had to say was just going to have to wait. Spencer needed sleep.

He barely woke when they arrived, and only just enough to notice that it was Aaron helping him up, Aaron bracing him as they made their way off the jet. His boss took him over to the waiting car and even helped tuck him down into the seat there like he was a child. Vaguely Spencer heard him speaking to the others as he shut the car door. "He's exhausted. I'll take him back to my place, let him get some sleep. Why don't you guys swing by in the morning and we'll have breakfast once Jack's off to school? I can set for us to get a late morning tomorrow with Strauss."

"I'll handle Strauss." Dave said. "You just take care of him. We'll see you in the morning, Aaron."

There was something wonderful in being able to trust in those with you. Spencer knew without a doubt that he could trust in the man currently driving them away from the airstrip. He could trust in Aaron with everything he had. That knowledge allowed him to let go and relax in ways he couldn't around many others.

Twenty minutes later, Spencer was back in Aaron's apartment. By his insistence, he was curling up on the couch, not back in his friend's bed. He wasn't going to take his bed from him again. The couch would work just fine.

He was asleep again before the blankets finished covering him.

* * *

The whole apartment was dark when Spencer woke once more. It didn't take him long to figure out _why_ he woke. The blankets lying over him were moving and a warm body was slipping underneath them almost like a child trying to slip into their parent's bed. Spencer rolled his eyes without opening them and adjusted himself so that he was more pressed against the back of the couch. He lifted one arm under the blankets and that was all the invitation needed. Immediately he had his own furnace laying half on him, cuddled right up against his chest, and he smiled to himself as he wrapped arms and wings around his brother.

"You were hard to find." Gabriel murmured against his chest. "I've been looking. I had to do a bit of human research to find out where your friends all lived and then do a check that way."

Spencer huffed out a breath and nuzzled his face in against Gabriel's hair. "You're not the only one that knows how to hide."

"From me?"

"Mm." He pulled Gabriel in closer. "Never from you." With his grace, he reached out, letting go of the tight hold he'd had these past few days. He let it reach to Gabriel and brush over him in both a show of affection and a way to check on how well his brother was healing. It let him know that Gabriel was tired, though he was a bit more healed than Spencer. He'd obviously gotten more rest than Spencer had these past few days.

Gabriel sighed at the warm feeling of Spencer's grace. They would both heal faster like this, wrapped up in each other, sharing grace. They'd work to heal each other. "Your team knows about you?" Gabriel asked him softly.

Nodding, Spencer gave him a soft squeeze. "Stay," He murmured, voice already low and heavy with the sounds of sleep, slurring ever so slightly. "You can meet 'em. We're havin' breakfast in the mornin'."

"Pancakes?"

"Pancakes."

"Kay."

Content, Gabriel snuggled in just a bit more and then his body went soft and pliant, falling asleep with ease. Spencer smiled once more before he let himself join him.


	9. Breakfast With Friends

Spencer woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on the door of Aaron's apartment. He debated for a moment whether or not to bother getting up as he listened to his boss hurry to answer the door. Currently he was rather comfortable. Sometime during the night he and his brother had swapped places so that now Gabriel was the one pressed up against the back of the couch and Spencer was on the outside. His brother's head was still buried against his chest, though. Spencer was lying on his side, facing in towards the back of the couch, and his right arm was curled up and currently being used as Gabriel's pillow. Gabriel's face was almost squished where it was pressing up against Spencer's collarbone and his arms were pressed tight between them, one hand gripping at Spencer's shirt. One of his legs was pressed up between Spencer's as well. The couch didn't exactly have a lot of room, definitely not enough for two people to lay like this normally, but they'd made it work. It helped when you didn't worry about physical boundaries with the other person. Or when you didn't have to worry about things that might dislodge you; like breathing.

The sound of voices near the door told Spencer just who was out there. Hayley's sister, come to pick Jack up and take him to school. Spencer acknowledged and then dismissed the sound in favor of burrowing a little more under the blankets. He almost laughed when he let his eyes open to slits and saw that only the top of Gabriel's head was appearing outside the blankets. The rest of him was hidden under there like he was in some kind of cocoon.

When he looked up a little more, he saw Aaron standing down near where their feet were, looking at the two of them with a slightly confused expression on his face. Ah, well, so much for just going back to sleep. Smothering a sigh, he turned his head just a little more and offered his friend a small smile. "Morning, Hotch."

"Morning, Reid."

"Sorry about this." Spencer nodded his head in the direction of Gabriel, not quite sure he'd be able to get an arm free to gesture with. "He came to check on me last and stuck around. Our graces recover better with exposure to each other." It was how all angels worked. In fact—Spencer gave a small testing touch of his grace and let out a happy little hum when he felt how much better it was. Sleeping wrapped up with Gabriel last night had done them both wonders.

The hand against Spencer's chest wiggled, drawing his attention away from Aaron and back to his brother. "Shh." Gabriel grumbled against him. "Sleepin'."

Humor lit Spencer's eyes and curved his lips. "Don't be rude. The guy whose couch you're sleeping on is right here. Show you at least know what manners are and come say hello."

" _Feeeeeel_."

The whine only served to make Spencer's smile grow. "Be nice, or no pancakes."

That got him moving. The blankets shifted and one golden eye peeked up at him through a fringe of sleep-messy hair. "Bully." Still, he started to move. The two slowly untangled from one another and shifted around until they were both sitting up on the couch. Seeing Gabriel in the light of day, Spencer noticed what he hadn't last night. A low laugh slipped from him as his eyes took in his brother's clothes. "You slipped into the house of someone you didn't know, hunting for me, in your _pajamas_?" His laughter grew a little when he checked and found that he wasn't wearing shoes, either. The only word that Spencer could think of to describe his brother in that moment was adorable. Gabriel was in red fuzzy socks, candy cane striped pajama pants, and a long sleeved red shirt with a picture of a big candy cane and some mistletoe on the front, and his hair was all pressed up on one side and messy on the other. Really, adorable.

Gabriel must've picked the thought up from him because he stuck his tongue out at him. "Shut up."

"Yeah, that's not really helping." Spencer fired back. He was grinning as he turned to look up at Aaron, who was staring down at Gabriel with a look that Spencer had seen turned his brother's way plenty of times. It was a look that clearly said he had absolutely no idea what to think of the insane looking person in front of him. "Hotch, I'd like you to meet my brother, Gabriel. Bree, this is my friend and my boss, Aaron Hotchner—also known as Hotch."

A brat though he could be, when it came to things or people that mattered Gabriel knew how to behave. Spencer was definitely someone that mattered to him. Because of that, the archangel turned to smile at Aaron. "Nice to meet you. Sorry for just crashing on your couch last night."

It was the first time that Spencer could honestly say he'd seen Aaron look so dumbstruck by something. He stared at Gabriel for one long beat as he obviously tried to find his voice. "I, it's fine." He finally managed to say. Not perfect, but it was at least words, and Spencer could tell he was already starting to recover a little more. No matter how flustered or off balance Aaron felt, nothing ever threw him for too long, and it never prevented him from reacting. That was part of what made him a great agent and a great unit chief. Even when something happened that came from all the way out in left field, something that no one expected, he could be stunned while still managing to react to it. He recovered quickly, too. When he spoke again his voice was just a bit steadier. "I didn't even realize you were there at first. The blankets hid most of you."

Aaron probably meant those words sincerely. It didn't stop Spencer from grinning at them, though. Gabriel shot him a glare before he could even open his mouth to speak. "Don't even think about it, 'Feel. I give as good as I get, remember that."

"Oh, look." Spencer said, grinning. "I feel the others coming up. It must be breakfast time!"

The look that Aaron gave the two of them had quickly changed from dumbstruck to amused. It was the same sort of look that he gave Spencer and Derek when they started picking on one another, or Derek and Emily. That look he wore that said that the 'children' were amusing. He and Dave often looked to each other and shared that look. Aaron wore it now as he shook his head at them. "I have a feeling this is going to be interesting."

"Everything worth doing is!" Gabriel said cheerfully.

While Aaron turned to go to the door in anticipation of the others arrival, shaking his head all the while at them, Spencer and Gabriel both rose from the couch. A snap of Spencer's fingers had the blankets put away and another snap had Aaron's table a little bit bigger and laden down with everything one could possibly need for a pancake breakfast. Pancakes, syrups of all flavors, fresh berries, whip cream, plus a pot of coffee and a pitcher of orange juice. Spencer surveyed it all before giving a small nod. Perfect. When he turned, he found Gabriel grinning at him and shaking his head. "What?" Spencer demanded, slightly defensive.

Gabriel's grin grew a little wider. "Nothing." Reaching out with his primary wing, he bumped it against Spencer's in a sign of affection. "I'm just so damn glad to see you."

"Oh." Warmth lit up Spencer, body and grace, and he pushed his wing back against Gabriel's. "I'm glad to see you too." He slipped into Enochian, the language falling off his tongue with ease. " _I've missed you_."

Expression softening, Gabriel moved in and gave Spencer a quick hug. " _I've missed you too, brother._ "

The sound of Enochian spoken in a tongue other than his was a beautiful sound indeed. It washed over Spencer and soothed a few more of those raw patches deep inside his grace in the place that missed Heaven constantly. The two shared a smile that spoke more than words. Then, with Spencer's arm around Gabriel's shoulder and Gabriel's arm around his waist, they both turned to greet the group that was making their way inside the apartment. Spencer watched the curious and confused faces as his friends looked over at them and he wanted to chuckle. This was going to be entertaining. Beside him, he could see the amused smirk that was curving Gabriel's lips.

Spencer waited for the door to close before he said anything. Everyone was here now. They'd all come as a group, it appeared. That made it easier. It meant he'd only have to do this once. He gave Gabriel a small squeeze and pulled him forward a step. "Bree, I'd like you to meet the rest of my team. This is David Rossi," He gestured with his free hand, pointing each one out as he listed them. "Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, and Penelope Garcia." He paused and gave just a second, watching the way that their eyes ran over the still pajama clad man at Spencer's side. The only concession that Gabriel had made for company was to use one hand to smooth down his hair so it looked a little less sleep mussed. He was still dressed in his Christmas candy cane pajamas looking nothing like what any of them probably assumed the archangel Gabriel should look like. Grinning, Spencer finished his introductions with a simple "Guys, this is my brother—Gabriel."

 _Stunned_ was a pretty good word to describe the expressions of everyone. Derek almost looked like someone had _slapped_ him. Penelope's eyes were wide but her expression was more excited than anything else. Emily and JJ were openly gaping at him. And for the first time in, well, _ever_ , David Rossi looked like he was at a complete loss for words.

It was Derek who found his words first. "You're shitting me. Him. _Him_?"

Laughter bubbled up from the shorter archangel. He vanished from Spencer's side and reappeared right in front of Derek, who'd been towards the back of the group. Hands on his hips, he tipped his head back to look up at the profiler. "That's right, Rambo. _Me_." Lifting one hand, he held it at the ready like he was going to snap and his grin turned awfully mischievous. "I can do something awesome to prove it if you want."

Derek looked up over his head towards Spencer. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm really not." Spencer answered. His smile grew. "Remember, Morgan, that's just his vessel."

"The real me is _much_ bigger." Gabriel chimed in. The eyebrow wiggle he gave turned that sentence a lot dirtier than it was.

It was more than amusing to watch everyone's reactions as Gabriel hugged each one of them in turn like they were all old friends. None of them seemed to know quite what to do with him. Derek froze under the hug. Emily and JJ were both stunned yet gracious in their hugs. Penelope had been the one that Spencer had been sure Gabriel would love and he was happy to see that he was right. Gabriel stopped right in front of her and just outright _beamed_ at her. "Has anyone ever told you that you've got one of the brightest and most beautiful souls?" He asked her.

Her cheeks turned pink even as she beamed right back at him. "No. But that's got to be one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten."

The two embraced and Spencer laughed when he saw that she was hugging him just as tightly as he was hugging her. When they pulled apart, he cupped her face in his hands and stunned the whole room by planting a loud and quick kiss on her lips and loudly declaring "I like you."

Spencer couldn't help himself. Between his brother's smugness, his friends' stunned looks, and just the whole damn situation, there was no holding back. The archangel had to brace himself against a nearby chair as a delighted peal of laughter slipped from him. Every face in the room turned his way and the looks they gave him only fueled his laughter. It was true, honest laughter, given from a joy he felt within his grace, and so it carried just a hint of his true voice to it. Not enough to hurt any of the human ears in the room. Quite the opposite, in fact. There was a resonance to it that left the humans both stunned and awed.

They all found it so easy sometimes to forget just what exactly Spencer truly was. To them, he would always be first and foremost, Dr. Spencer Reid. They didn't see Jophiel when they looked at him. But then there were moments like this where the archangel inside peeked through. Where they got a glimpse of why exactly Jophiel was known as the archangel of beauty. Beauty wasn't just in looks; it was in so much more. The sound of his laughter filled the room and brought a beauty of its own that was unlike anything they'd ever known.

Gabriel was smiling warmly and openly when Spencer's laughter faded. There was so much love in his face. "I've missed that sound."

A hint of a blush touched Spencer's cheeks when he finally saw how everyone was staring. A bit flustered, he turned away, clearing his throat and gesturing towards the table. "Breakfast is ready. Why don't we all sit down before things start to get cold?"

It was an obvious distraction ploy and the profilers around him let him get away with it. Gabriel didn't, of course. He bumped up against Spencer as he came to join him and deliberately scoffed at him. "As if you'd let the food get cold. Come on now, 'Feel. What kind of archangel are you?"

Spencer rolled his eyes and slid down into one of the chairs. "I'm most definitely not the patron of warm breakfasts. That's never been something attributed to me." Looking up, he noticed the slight hesitance on his friends and knew that they were still unsure, still not quite settled. He sighed and then offered them all a smile. "Please, guys, have a seat. I promise, Gabriel is mostly harmless, and he's not so full of himself that he's going to smite a few humans for daring to eat breakfast with him."

"Well…" Gabriel drawled the word out as he dropped down into the chair at Spencer's side.

Rolling his eyes, Spencer smiled. "Well, so long as no one touches his plate. He's very protective of pancakes."

That broke the ice enough that the group of profilers finally made their way to the table with them. They all looked a bit hesitant, still, but no one could ever claim any of them were cowards. The team joined them at the table and Spencer smiled happily at them. "Help yourselves, please."

It had to be one of the strangest, most awkward breakfasts that the group had ever sat down together for. Spencer watched his friends as they made themselves comfortable around Aaron's table and as they slowly served themselves food. The serving of food was enough to break a bit of the tension. Especially when Gabriel took a bite of one of the pancakes and made a sound that was slightly more pornographic than breakfast food required. Spencer arched an eyebrow at him as the other archangel closed his eyes and moaned around the bite of food. "Are you all right?" Spencer asked him dryly. "Would you perhaps like a little alone time with your meal?"

"'M good, t'anks." Gabriel said around his mouthful of food.

Spencer scowled at him. "Don't be disgusting."

Immediately, Gabriel turned towards him and opened his mouth, clearly showing the partially chewed food inside.

That, more than anything else, seemed to break up the tension at the table, which Spencer found odd. But there were more than a few laughs and even slightly paternal looks of amusement from Dave and Aaron. It was Penelope, though, who grinned widely at them and said "You two really are brothers."

"Of course we are." Spencer gave her a surprised look. "Did you think I was lying?"

She hurried to reassure him. "No, no! It's just, I mean it's one thing knowing that you have them, it's another thing entirely to see you sitting here acting all brotherly with one. I mean, you guys act like any pair of regular human brothers, picking on one another and teasing each other."

Oh, that made a little more sense. Spencer supposed he could understand where she was coming from. When people thought of angels, he knew they didn't exactly picture something like what he and Gabriel looked like right now, or what they were really like up in Heaven. Turning, Spencer smirked at his brother. "Yeah, he's got that bratty little brother part down pretty well."

"Little brother?" Derek repeated.

Spencer nodded. "Mm hm. I'm older than he is."

"Not by much!" Gabriel protested immediately.

A hint of a smile ghosted over Spencer's lips. The look he gave Gabriel could only be described as fond. "You're right, not by much." Turning back to the others, he settled back in his chair and cradled his mug of coffee between his hands. He wasn't all that interested in the food right now, to be honest, but the coffee was delicious, and it left him free to be able to talk while everyone else ate. Maybe he could get a few things explained and out of the way. "Our Father didn't create us all at once. He made Michael first…"

"The good son." Gabriel interjected.

"…and Lucifer next." Spencer ignored the interruption, as well as his own little tremor at thinking of this particular brother. He moved on from that quickly. "After them, I was made. Not long after me came Gabriel, then Chamuel, Zadkiel, Uriel and Raphael."

"That's eight." Emily pointed out, surprising him. She was looking at him curiously across the table. "When we talked before…I thought there were seven archangels?"

It was Gabriel who answered that with an uncharacteristically serious voice. "We don't count Lucy."

That effectively silenced the table for the moment. Not for long, though. Nothing ever really silenced Gabriel for long. He recovered quickly and was once more flashing a grin their direction. "Basically, what it means is that aside from Dad, Jophiel over here is pretty much the oldest living thing in Heaven and Earth. Dad created us before he created anything else."

"Shit." Derek breathed out, looking over at Spencer with a slightly stunned expression.

He wasn't the only one, either. Spencer shifted uncomfortably under the stares of his friends. With one of his wings he reached out, invisible to the humans, and thumped the back of Gabriel's head with it, glaring at him the whole time. "Can you _try_ to keep from making me look even more like a freak to my friends here, little brother? If I'd known this was how you'd behave, I wouldn't have asked you to stay for breakfast."

"Oh, calm down, Feel." Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. He gestured to the others with one hand. "Give them a little credit! They're just processing. They're not gonna freak out on you."

"He's right." Dave interjected. He leaned forward a little to better be able to look at Spencer. There was still a bit of shock on his face, but that usual calm that he was known for, with just a hint of amusement at the edges, settled Spencer a little more. "No matter what, you're still you, and we're still a family here. Nothing we hear is going to change that."

"Though we'd love to hear some stories." Emily said. She grinned broadly as she looked at Gabriel. "I imagine you've got _plenty_ of those."

The way that Gabriel was grinning would've been enough to frighten anyone. It was way too devious for his own good. Spencer immediately let go of his cup with one hand so that he could point a finger at his brother. "Do it at your own peril, little brother."

"Aww, c'mon Reid!" Derek called out. It was echoed by those around him, all of his friends—even Aaron!—wanting to hear stories. Gabriel grinned even more and added "Yeah, _Reid_ , c'mon!"

"Don't call me that." Spencer said immediately. It sounded so damn wrong coming from Gabriel's lips.

"What?" Gabriel asked with mock innocence in his tone. "Reid?"

"Yes. It doesn't sound right coming from you."

"But _they_ call you that!"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "That's different. That's who I've always been to them. And no matter what else changes, it's who I'll always be."

"It's smarter, anyways. Saves on confusion when you guys are out in public and it helps keep you undercover here." Turning, he looked at the table once more. "You should probably do the same with me, too, to help keep covers in place."

"What should we call you?" Dave asked.

"I'm also known as Loki, but I doubt that'd go over well if you brought me up around anyone. They'd get weirded out." A smirk flashed over his face, showing that he was amused by that prospect. Then his eyes flickered briefly over to Spencer and his whole expression softened. "Gabe or Bree works."

Spencer felt his grace warm inside of him. His team didn't have any idea about the meaning behind what Gabriel had just said. They had no idea that 'Bree' was a nickname only _family_ used. Really, only the other archangels had ever used it. For him to offer it up for the others to use was a form of acceptance. A way of showing that he was accepting this little family that Spencer was a part of here. He was accepting them, and adding himself into the mix.

 _I saw your memories,_ Gabriel sent to him, that internal voice rich with love and warmth and the apple crisp feel of his happy humor. _You love them and they love you. Why wouldn't I love them as well?_

Warmth filled Spencer's grace. He spread one of his wings out and let it curl over his brother, let it wrap him up in an embrace only angels could share, and he let his other wings rise in a gesture of love and protection over the rest of the table and the little family here that was more precious to him than anything else.


	10. Interlude - A Conversation Between Broth

It felt good to give the wings a bit of a stretch. After taking the time to let them heal properly, giving them a stretch now felt wonderful. Spencer sighed happily as he landed from his flight right behind his brother in one of Gabriel's many hideaways. However, flying like that had let him see a little more clearly just how _messy_ his brother's wings were. It made sense, of course. A lot of Spencer's work had been, well, internal, for lack of a better word. Gabriel had been the one to cover them as they flew back out of the Cage and up through Hell. His wings had sheltered them on the way up. It made sense they still weren't in the best of shape. Self-grooming wasn't exactly _easy_. Before all this had happened to Spencer, he'd done Gabriel's grooming when he'd sneak down to earth to see him. A look now and he guessed that no one had filled in that job for him while he was gone.

No sooner had they landed than Spencer was reaching out to catch hold of Gabriel's wrist. He tugged, ignoring the curious look Gabriel was giving him, and walked him back towards the massive bed that sat in the center of this giant room. The place Gabriel had brought them to was perfect for what Spencer had in mind. This was a bedroom that looked like it was made for personal, private time. Time when Gabriel let out the angel inside. There'd be room enough for their wings in here.

"What're you doing, Feel?" Gabriel asked as he gave Spencer a curious look.

Spencer smiled and drew Gabriel up onto the bed with him. "Your wings are a mess. Get up here and let me help you with that."

Surprise crossed Gabriel's face. Then his grace flared bright in a display of emotions that left Spencer a little choked. Surprise, joy, relief, gratitude, hesitance, longing. But Spencer didn't have to pull him along anymore. Gabriel eagerly climbed up onto the bed and set himself in the middle of it. There wasn't even a snap to warn before Spencer felt grace brush against him and their clothes vanished. He didn't bat an eye at it. Angels didn't have clothes in Heaven. They didn't have the same physical shame or modesty that humans have, either. This was a moment that was very personal, very private, and only done with one you trusted implicitly. Once, back before all the drama and the fighting and the _plotting,_ all angels would've groomed one another, back before Lucifer's fall. The lesser angels had no hesitance in helping to groom one another, and the archangels always took care of each other's grooming. Spencer had been the only archangel to ever let one of the lesser angels touch his wings. To touch the wings of an archangel was something important.

Many times since their creation Spencer had sat with Gabriel in front of him. He'd sat with many of his brothers in front of him. Even Michael. They'd all claimed that he had the most gentle, soothing touch. He and Chamuel.

In no time flat the two were both seated on the bed and Gabriel's wings were spread out wide. They were as beautiful as ever. Signs of their recent trip were evident all over, though. Spencer could see the places where more serious damage had been done. The days since then as well as their grace sharing last night had allowed for those places to heal. But there were still feathers out of place and some that looked like they needed to be removed. "You're quite the mess here, little brother."

It was a sentence Spencer had said many times before and it brought a reminiscent smile to both their lips. Gabriel stretched his wings out as far as he could manage and then drew them back in to a relaxed pose. "Flying into Hell will do that to you."

"They seem to be healing well enough. No burns or anything like that."

The first touch of Spencer's fingers had Gabriel's wings shivering briefly. Then the archangel sighed into the touch and he slumped down a little. "Those healed over first. I tried to fix the messed up feathers…"

Spencer smiled and nodded his head in understanding even though Gabriel couldn't see him. "Yeah. It's not so easy." Twisting around to reach all the places on their wings just wasn't that simple. Especially the ones in close to the base of the wings.

For a long while there wasn't really any sound in the room except for the whisper soft sounds of their grooming and the light flutter of wings. Spencer worked his way over the largest of Gabriel's wings, the two top primary ones. It was as he moved down to the second pair that Gabriel finally spoke up. He was bent over a little and it made his voice just slightly muffled. "You haven't asked me any questions about what happened. About Sam."

"I figured you'd talk when you were ready." Spencer murmured. He focused on one extremely twisted feather. That wasn't going to be able to stay in. His fingers were quick and careful as he gave the little twist that jerked it out.

Gabriel winced at the sharp tug and then sighed at the relief. He was quiet again, but this time it was different. He wasn't just sitting there silently. He was gathering his thoughts, trying to put them into words. Finally, he sighed and shifted a little under Spencer's hands. "I'm not exactly one of their favorite creatures. I, messed with them a bit, an Deano's got a long memory when it comes to someone else hurting his brother."

Spencer made a low sound in his throat that was meant to convey agreement or understanding. Just, an acknowledgement that he was listening. He could understand the 'protective older brother' feeling. It was one he'd felt many, many times in his long life. It was a feeling he felt now as he sat behind his brother and felt the emotion that rolled through Gabriel's grace. But he said nothing about any of that. He simply sat there and continued to groom his brother's wings while Gabriel slowly told him what had happened.

"When I left you at the safe house with their souls, I went to the Winchesters. I hadn't told them I was alive yet. I wasn't really in the mood to deal with that crap, y'know?" Gabriel said. That part, Spencer knew. What he didn't know was what came after. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Gabriel's wings shuffled a little when Spencer twisted another feather back into place, and then his brother continued with his story. "Took a bit to convince them. Soulless Sammy believed me first. All practical, that one." There was a slightly bitter edge to those words that showed just how bothered Gabriel had been by a soulless Sam. Then Gabriel's grace grew agitated and his wings tried to draw up in reflection of that. "Do you know what they were doing? Apparently they _already knew_ Sam's soul wasn't there and they were working with _the King of Hell_ to try and get it back!"

"Wow." Not exactly the smartest of moves. From what Spencer knew, the current King of Hell was a crossroads demon by the name of Crowley. Working with him…the boys must've been desperate to do something like that.

"Yeah, 'wow'." Gabriel echoed scathingly. "Don't those idiots ever learn? He was playing them! There was no way that little shit could've gotten Sam's soul for them. King of Hell or not, there's no freaking way. Luce and Mikey would've torn him apart."

"What was he having them do for him?"

"Gather Alphas."

That had Spencer's hands freezing. Crowley had been having the Winchesters gather up Alphas for him? That…wasn't good. Nothing good could come of that. _Nothing_.

Gabriel nodded his agreement. "Yeah. I'm gonna look into that, make sure the little sulfur-sucker isn't causing too much trouble."

"Let me know what you find." In hiding though he may be, that didn't mean he wanted to remain ignorant. He had too much that was important to him, too much he wanted to protect, to willingly remain ignorant of any serious threat.

Right now, though, his concern wasn't with the demon Crowley, or anything like that. His concern was with his brother and the painful ache he could feel inside of his grace. Something else had happened, something with Sam, and it was hurting Gabriel. That was what was important. That was what had Spencer worrying. He waited, though, and said nothing. Just kept grooming, moving on to the next wing. It took until he was halfway finished with that one before Gabriel spoke again. When he did, his voice was surprisingly soft, devoid of its usual mockery or amusement. "Neither one of them is all that willing to let me around right now. Dean was more than happy to have me fix his brother, but that's it. He keeps acting like I'm going to kill Sam or something. Like I saved him from torture just to torture him myself."

"Angels haven't really given them any reason to trust."

"I would've figured _dying_ for them would've earned me some trust." Gabriel said scathingly. "I guess it doesn't get you as far these days. Deano's sure it's all some kind of trick."

"And Sam?"

It was both amusing and sweet, the way that Gabriel softened a little at just the mention of Sam's name. Oh, yeah, he had it bad. "Sam seems more, open. I think he'd be more willing to listen if big bro wasn't always there yelling at me over his shoulder."

"Well then," Shifting his hands, Spencer smoothed out another twisted feather, smiling as he saw Gabriel's wings shake in a sort of sigh of relief. "If I were you, I'd find a way to speak to Sam alone. Or to shut Dean up long enough to speak. You are an archangel and a trickster, Bree. It shouldn't be that hard for you to figure out how to _safely_ keep someone quiet long enough for you to say your piece. Safely, mind you. Tormenting him or snapping him away to some alternate reality is only going to make him angrier and make your attempts to win them over even harder."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Spencer gave one of the good feathers a small tug. It was the equivalent to tugging a bit on his hair. It had the nice effect of shutting him up and the amusing bonus of the glare Gabriel sent over his shoulder. Spencer just smiled and continued to work as if he hadn't done anything. His voice was just as calm when he spoke again. "I healed as much damage as I could in the time that I could, but you and I both know that what I did was essentially the same as battle field first aid. What he needs now is more proper healing. His soul needs you, Gabriel. You need to make the brothers understand that. This isn't something he can heal from on his own. Healing isn't going to be easy for him."

"I know."

"Not just from Hell, Bree." Stroking his fingers over a twisted feather, Spencer sighed. "The human soul is both fragile and strong all at the same time. His soul, it's so strong. Strong enough to survive this. But it's also fragile enough to be easily hurt. The memories of what he did while without a soul—those are going to hurt. He's going to need help. Help that the seraph with them won't be able to provide. He's going to need healing sessions, and help with nightmares, and someone there to listen to him. Someone who loves him wholly and unconditionally. He needs someone to show him the beauty in the world again beyond the darkness that's been around him for so long."

"That sounds more like your gig than mine, bro." Gabriel pointed out. His voice was a little softer than normal, though.

Shaking his head, Spencer pressed a hand against Gabriel's back, right between all of his wings. "He needs _you_ , Gabriel. Just you. You've got such amazing love to share. Don't be afraid to give it to him."

"Even if he never gives it back?"

Grace reached out to grace and Spencer wrapped himself around his brother, offering love the only way he knew how. "Trust in yourself and in Sam." He murmured. "Have a little faith, brother."

"I think I lost that a long time ago." Gabriel said softly.

Spencer smiled and hugged his brother tighter. "Then let Sam help you find it again."


	11. Valhalla - Lauren

For Spencer the next little while was sort of an idyllic time. Not only did he have his human family safely around him, he also had a brother whom he loved more than anything and who liked to pop in for random visits. To make it even better, his brother and his little family here got along far more than he ever would've expected. Now that Gabriel had met the team and he knew that they all knew about him and Spencer, he had no hesitation in popping in whenever and wherever to visit them. Hotels, restaurants—Penelope's office.

The first time he popped into Penelope's office was while the team was out on a case, no one knew about it until they put in a video call to Penelope and found the snarky archangel lounging in a chair next to her while he played with the countless items on her desk. Everyone except Spencer had startled at the sight of it. They'd recovered quickly, though—there was a case, and nothing could get in the way of that—and soon enough they all grew rather used to seeing the candy addicted archangel on camera with Penelope. Or, at least, any time that Ashley wasn't in the room. It wasn't really that surprising that Gabriel had taken quite the liking to Penelope. Spencer had known he would. The two were way too much alike.

Spencer felt like he was happier than he'd been in a long time. He was working, helping his team and saving people, putting his powers to use in ways that felt so very right. And he got to spend so much time with his brother. Granted, Gabriel wasn't always happy, but he was slowly getting there as he reported his progress to Spencer, telling him of the slowly building trust that he was earning with Sam. He'd taken Spencer's advice and spoken to Sam when they were alone, and that seemed to have worked enough to get Gabriel the in that he needed. It got Sam on his side just enough for the younger hunter to get his brother to back off some. Little by little he was getting the hunter to relax around him. Helping to ease his nightmares and flashbacks was a good step in that direction.

Of course, that idyllic time couldn't last. Little things were starting to intrude on the peace they'd found. And all of those things seemed to center around Emily.

With every passing day something seemed to be bothering Emily more and more. It hadn't escaped Spencer's notice that his friend had started to pull back from them. Not only that, but she'd developed this uncanny ability to sort of blank out her mind. Not shut off her thoughts, no one could do that, nor was she really shielding them. She just seemed to be making the deliberate choice to _not_ think about certain things in his presence. That was more worrisome than anything else.

But secrets can only stay secrets for so long. They were on a case when Emily's secrets were all blown wide open.

* * *

The case seemed normal at first. Well, as normal as any of their cases could ever be. Spencer hadn't connected any of it to Emily. Whatever was going on with her was always on his mind but he was so focused on worrying about her that he stupidly didn't make the connections between her and their case until it was too late.

Two families were killed in a possible murder-suicide. There was nothing really to connect them, nothing beyond one member from each family originally coming from Europe. But both families were shot and then their houses burned to the ground. Dave and Emily went to one of the houses, Derek and Aaron to the morgue, and Spencer stayed behind to work on trying to help find anything that might connect their cases together. It was a skill of his that Aaron had always tried to utilize even before they knew who Spencer really was and they tried to use it even more now. The archangel tended to make random connections that none of the rest of them could.

They worked their case and, little by little, things cropped up that didn't make sense, things that set the whole team on edge. People were dying, Derek and Emily were _shot at_ , the story was being covered up and articles written were pulled, and finally, a suspect was dropped into their laps, a name for the Unsub they were hunting here—Ian Doyle.

Spencer should've noticed something then. He should've seen Emily's reaction. Even though they were only around each other briefly, he should've known.

But Emily was keeping her distance. That didn't register with Spencer right away; he didn't realize just how deliberately his friend was avoiding him. Nothing about this case drew his attention to her and she made sure to stay far away from him.

It wasn't until the death of a woman named Tsia that things changed. Derek and Emily went to go check on the case and when they came back, Emily used the cover of all the various agencies in the BAU, all the bodies filling the room, to slip away. And just like that, nothing was ever the same again.

* * *

How could he have missed this?

That was the question that Spencer was asking himself over and over again as he sat in the BAU's round-table-room and watched JJ bring up images on the screen for all of them. As she prepared, he cursed himself fluently, in multiple languages. How the hell could he have missed this? Now that he knew what was going on, now that the truth had come spilling out, there were so many things that made sense. So many different pieces of the puzzle that now fell perfectly together. He'd missed so damn much and if anything happened to Emily because he'd been too stupid or too slow to piece this all together, he was never going to forgive himself.

He wasn't angry at her for running. Dave was right. Like he'd said, "Doyle's killing families. She's not married, not close to relatives. He was ready to wipe us out. She ran to protect us."

How could he fault her for that? How could he blame her for doing the only thing she felt she could do to keep those she loved safe? He just wished that she'd opened up to him. That she'd told him what was going on. Maybe he could've helped. _Maybe, if I'd paid more attention…_

Spencer's internal monologue was interrupted by JJ's voice. It drew it him out of his head and back into the room. "Okay, so I talked to a friend from Langley. He couldn't give me Emily's full CIA history, but he could give me this." Clicking the remote in her hand, she brought a file up on screen and then, with another click, cleared all the black bars off of it. There was Emily's file—Lauren Reynolds file—right there for them to read. "She assumed the identity of Lauren Reynolds as part of a special task force called JTF-12."

"I heard about them. They were profiling terrorists, weren't they?" Dave asked.

JJ nodded. "Yeah, assembled after 9-11. CIA and Western agencies contributed their best and brightest."

Chewing on her lip, Ashely tilted her head and looked over the file. "But serial killers and terrorists have different personality traits."

"How does Doyle fit in?" Spencer asked. He wasn't going to just assume anything anymore. He wasn't going to let himself be stupid enough again to think that he would just notice something on his own. Being an archangel didn't mean that he was all powerful and all knowing. This whole thing was reminding him of that very clearly.

"He was their last case." JJ said. "And now the JTF is on his hit list. Jeremy Wolff was victim number one, from Germany's BND. Sean McAlister at Interpol was the second. He's the one that brought the JTF in to work the Doyle case. He was murdered last week in Brussels with his wife and daughter. Tsia Mosely of France's DCRI. She got engaged to Jeremy earlier this year. After he died, she fled to D.C. And team leader Clyde Easter, British S.I.S. He hasn't checked in since Tsia's murder. He was also in D.C." With each name she clicked the remote and brought them up onto the screen as well.

"Did JTF make the arrests?" Aaron asked.

JJ shook her head this time. "No, the host countries handled that. The team moved on to the next case."

"If all they did was deliver a profile, how does Doyle even know about them?"

For a brief moment, JJ looked uncomfortable, her eyes drifting up to the picture of their friend and then back to the room. Spencer knew the answer before she said it; the pieces were falling in even more now. "Well, considering the shadowy nature of terrorist cells, they utilize a skill we don't... infiltration."

"Who was undercover on Doyle?" Spencer asked the question they all knew the answer to, yet were all afraid to say it out loud. Even though they knew, they needed to hear JJ confirm it. Still, when she did, it hurt to hear. "Emily." She said softly. "She made contact with him in Boston to get intel on Valhalla. She was posing as another weapons dealer."

Looking down at the picture in his hand, Derek fought back a scowl, and Spencer could feel the hurt and betrayal that oozed off the man. "Look at how she's dressed. She seems awfully comfortable."

Ignoring that, Aaron looked to JJ. "How close did she get to Doyle as part of her cover?"

"The recon they did on Doyle included a background of all of his romantic relationships. Emily was his type."

Everyone went quiet as they all looked down at the picture of their friend, each one lost in their own stream of thoughts.

* * *

Everyone was sent off in different directions. Dave and Derek went to Emily's apartment, a job that Spencer was very happy to leave to them—he didn't want to go sifting through a friend's apartment—and Penelope was sent off to try and call all of Emily's known numbers in the hopes that she could find something. Aaron left Ashley with orders to set up the boards in the round-table room and gestured for JJ and Spencer to follow him to his office.

It only took a moment after the door shut before both Aaron and JJ turned to Spencer. "Can you sense her at all?" JJ asked him immediately.

"I've been trying." Even though the others hadn't seen it, he was, he was trying almost this whole time with no success so far. "She's smart." Rubbing a hand over his face, Spencer tried not to both growl and sigh at the same time. "I'm almost positive she's either warded herself against me, or she's learned some special mind blocking techniques. Lately she's taken to blanking her mind out."

"Blanking her mind?" Aaron repeated.

"It's like," He tried to think of the best way to describe this. How could he make it make sense for someone who wasn't a mind reader? "Emily's always said that she's good at compartmentalizing. And really, she is. One of the best I've ever seen. It's like she takes all thoughts except the ones needed at the moment and she can shove them down into a little box and push that to the back of her mind. What I sense from you guys is generally your surface thoughts. To get more, I'd have to deliberately reach in, and I wouldn't do that to any of you without your permission."

"Is there any way you can search for her?"

The calm tone of his Unit Chief was offset by the worry that was coming from him. Spencer instinctively lifted his wings and curled them slightly around his two friends. Though they couldn't see them, they would feel the calming presence of them, the soothing sensations that they gave off. "I'll do what I can, Hotch. I can try and fly in hopes of sensing her somewhere." He'd be flying blind, but if he could figure out the general area she'd be in, it was his best bet.

Aaron shook his head, though. "We need you here, Reid. As much as I hate it, there's more to this than just finding Prentiss. We need to make sure we can not only capture Doyle, but make a case that sticks."

It went against everything inside of Spencer to not take off and fly after his friend. Logically, he knew Aaron was right. He knew the man was simply thinking of all angles of things just like a good leader would. But Spencer's grace was throbbing with the need to find his missing family member, one of his flock. Protecting her took precedence over everything else. If he could find her, he could keep her safe and help the case from at her side, maybe even convince her to come back home. However, there was another part of him that wanted to stay with his team. Because Doyle was going after families and there was a very good chance he'd still be targeting the team right now, even if he found out that Emily was following. Maybe _especially_ if he found out. He might try to come after them as a message to her to back off. If Spencer went off after her, who would be here to protect the rest of them?

His grace felt like it was being pulled in two different directions and he had to fight down a shudder.

JJ's hand closed gently over his shoulder. "We'll find her, Spence."

"I need you all safe." Spencer said before he could stop himself. He opened eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and he looked between the two in front of him. "I just, I need it, and I can't keep all of you safe at the same time. I can't be everywhere at once."

He was grateful that neither one of them pointed out that they were all agents fully capable of taking care of themselves.

Drawing in an unnecessary breath, Spencer blew it back out and tried to blow out some of his tension as well. He needed to be calm. He needed to _think_. His flock needed him to keep a level head. Panic would do nothing to help them.

As soon as he got himself at least somewhat calm, a solution came to him that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of. In an instant he had his eyes closed and was reaching out in prayer to one he knew he could call on. _Gabriel, brother, if you're free I need you. Please._

"What's wrong?"

Spencer opened his eyes to find Gabriel right in front of him. The younger archangel took in his distress and responded by reaching out to him with grace, wings, and Spencer could see he was fighting not to reach out with his arms as well. "What happened, 'Feel?"

"Emily's missing." The words tasted sour on Spencer's tongue. Their graces twined together and Spencer shared everything with his brother until Gabriel knew all that they knew. He watched Gabriel suck in a breath and stare at him, eyes burning a little and wings lifting up protectively. This wasn't just Spencer's flock here—it was, in a sense, Gabriel's as well. And Gabriel was immensely protective of what was his. Spencer met his eyes and spoke with boy words and grace. "Please, I need your help."

Nothing could've kept Gabriel from stepping up to him then. He moved in to hug Spencer without any sense of embarrassment or hesitation. When he pulled back, he cupped Spencer's face with one hand. " _You protect them here,_ " he said in Enochian. " _I'll find our lost one._ "

" _Thank you._ " Some of the tension inside of Spencer relaxed. " _Thank you._ "

* * *

With Gabriel on the hunt for Emily, it left Spencer free to protect the rest of his team. He could stick with them and help them get through this. At the moment the team was gathered on the jet flying to Boston to speak with one Clyde Easter, her old team leader, who was being detained and who had been found with a rather large bag of cash.

They were on the jet when they got their first hint of Emily's location.

Penelope was shaking a little as she turned her laptop to face them all. As the video played, Penelope talked them through it. "Emily walked into a trap. It looks like Doyle got into the SUV, but from this angle, you can see that he didn't. Which I wish Boston PD Would have told me before I started watching it."

On the screen they all watched as Ian Doyle pretended to get into an SUV, only to slip out of view just in time for Emily to come up and shoot out one of the windows. Once she did, she threw a flash-bang grenade inside and then ducked down the back as it went off. She was up on the other side, gun held out at one of the men who came out, when she was shot. Everyone on the jet sucked in a breath and Spencer's grace spasmed with the pain of seeing this.

Ian came on screen and knelt down in front of her and the team only relaxed when they saw him open her shirt to show the vest underneath. She was alive. Oh, thank Father, she was alive!

"She threw a flash-bang grenade into a car." Derek's voice sounded both shaky and stunned. His shock showed clearly on his face. "She's lucky the three people inside didn't die. Is anybody else bothered by that?"

 _Not in the least,_ Spencer thought to himself. He knew he should be. He should be upset that lives could've been lost. But all he could think as he looked at that video was that he was so damn glad she was alive.

Giving a halfhearted shrug, Dave said, "Well, three bad guys."

"Illegal as it is, I think Prentiss knows she has to be as ruthless as Doyle." Aaron said.

Spencer nodded his agreement. "He's come to the US to wage a public vendetta and hired a group of mercenaries to remain loyal to him. He has nothing to lose, so she has to act the same way."

They didn't give Derek the chance to continue on that route. Anything more he had to say about that wouldn't have been good. He was still hurt, still feeling betrayed, and whatever he had to say carried the potential to be something he might severely regret later. Before he could say anything, Dave moved the subject along. "So how did Doyle know she was waiting for him?"

That was a damn good question.

"Well, the mole must have told him, right?" JJ said. "The same guy who's been feeding Doyle the contractors and agents?"

Sighing, Ashley looked around at them all. "And our best suspect was just arrested with a suitcase full of cash. How do we get Easter to talk? He won't cooperate willingly."

"I'll handle that." Aaron said firmly. "The rest of you focus on Doyle's location."

"I hate to be the one to ask this, but how long does Emily have?" Penelope asked softly.

For a moment they were quiet. It was Aaron who finally answered her. "Her best chance is also the most troubling. Doyle saved her for last because he views her as his stressor. Which means he'll take his time."

Closing his eyes, Spencer sent up a soft prayer to his Father. _Please, let Gabriel find her. Please, Father, let him find her in time._

* * *

 _The next chapter goes wildly AU (As if we aren't already LOL) so when I post it, don't expect it to go anything like the rest of the "Lauren" episode does, okay? Great!_

 _Sorry this update took so long but, please, let us know what you think of this chapter! We've almost wrapped this story up. :D_


	12. Valhalla - Lauren Part 2

They'd just left the jet and were on their way to Boston PD when the message came in to Spencer from his brother. _I found her_ , Gabriel sent to him, his voice soft and easy in Spencer's mind. Those three words were enough to have Spencer slumping down in his seat. His eyes drifted shut as relief swamped him. _Thank you, Father,_ Spencer prayed. Then he turned his voice to responding to Gabriel, not even needing to use prayer to do it. They were in the same city and they had a strong connection to each other; they could speak mind to mind instead of having to use prayer to do it. _Can you get her out?_

 _You doubt me, bro? I'm hurt!_ Gabriel sent back. _We're in a car outside the Boston PD waiting for you guys. I healed her, so she's doing okay now. Heads up, though—she aint happy with you._

A laugh slid from Spencer that was more relieved than anything. He ignored the strange looks his friends sent his way and focused solely on his conversation. _She can be as unhappy as she wants. She's safe and that's all that matters to me. Thank you, Bree. Thank you so much._

The response Gabriel sent wasn't in words. The warmth of his brother's love wrapped around him and had Spencer sighing happily.

When the archangel opened his eyes once more, he found the others in the SUV all shooting him curious looks. "Reid?" Ashley spoke up sort of hesitantly, her eyes worried as they watched him. "Are you, um…are you okay?"

Spencer looked at her and wished that they had split up a little differently when they'd gotten off the jet. In this car Aaron was driving, with Ashley in the back by Spencer and Derek up in the passenger's seat. Dave and JJ were riding in the other car. Ashley's presence meant that Spencer couldn't speak openly here. There was no way for him to come right out and tell his friends what was going on. He could try and convey something, though. Hopefully the other two would understand what he meant as he told them "I'm okay." Turning his eyes away from Ashley, he looked up towards the front and let his smile grow. "I just, got caught up in my thoughts. But I'm fine. Great, really."

There was such honest happiness in his voice he knew the others would catch on to it. He caught Aaron's eye briefly in the rearview mirror and the two exchanged a quick look that told Aaron all he needed to know. The Unit Chief was smiling as he put his attention back on the road.

There had never been a slower car ride. By the time they arrived at the station, Spencer was almost vibrating with his need to get out of here, to go ahead to what he knew was waiting. His wings had been trembling the whole ride with the need to fly ahead and find her. To take him so that he could see for himself that the missing member of his flock was alive and well and _safe_.

When the car finally came to a stop, he was the first one out. He didn't have to search around for his brother; he could feel Gabriel's grace just ahead of him. Immediately his eyes went over there and the tension that he'd been unable to let go of finally bled out of him at the sight of the two climbing out of the SUV at the far end of the parking lot. He barely noticed Gabriel—all of his attention was on the woman who got out with him. "Emily."

He reached her before anyone else did. Spencer really wasn't even all that aware of the others following him. All he was aware of was his friend in front of him, in his arms, wrapped up tight and _safe_ in his wings. The fear that had been in him was replaced with so much relief. Holding her tight, feeling her arms around him, he let out a breath that was more like a shudder. "Don't do that to me again." he whispered in her ear. "Don't…don't take my family from me."

His soft words had the anger draining out of her. Her arms tightened around him a little more and he felt her sort of melt into him for a moment. The mind that had been so closed to him lately was suddenly wide open and Spencer caught the rush of her thoughts as they all slammed into him at once. The fear she'd felt, the grief over her friends, the guilt and regret over what had happened and what she'd done, the fear of what might happen, all overlaid with the overwhelming need to make sure that no one she cared about was hurt because of her. Her need to protect them and her guilt over things had spawned this desperate run. Logically, she knew that staying with them would've been smarter, that Spencer was a being who could keep them _all_ safe. But years of being alone, of handling things alone, as well as the guilt over her past and her fear of what they might think of her, all of that had mixed together into this giant mess that had left her sick and scared inside. Spencer brushed his grace up against her in a touch meant to reassure and to let her know just how loved she really was.

The two drew apart and that allowed the others to all step in and take their hugs and handshakes. While they said their hellos, Spencer turned to Gabriel and let his grace reach out in a thank you so warm it had Gabriel actually sighing happily under the touch.

That seemed to remind the others that he was there. They looked towards him and Spencer could see their hesitance, their worry about how to handle this situation. They shouldn't have worried. Gabriel had it all under control. He smiled at them all before he turned his charming grin over to Ashley. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you." Moving around Emily a little, he held his hand out to the young blond. "SSA Gabriel Arch."

The name had Spencer fighting not to snort. Gabriel _Arch_? Creative.

He felt Gabriel's wing shove at him in reproach and he had to turn his head away to cough in an attempt to cover his laugh.

"Ashley Seaver." She introduced herself, and it amused Spencer to see that she couldn't resist smiling back at him. The little brat was far too charming for his own good. When she drew her hand back in, she looked much more relaxed than before. "You're an agent as well?" She looked him over and was obviously trying to match up the image he presented with the one he was saying. Gabriel wasn't exactly dressed like an agent. He was wearing green converse, jeans, a dark blue button up shirt and the army green utility jacket that he seemed to favor. His hair was slicked back and the stick of a sucker stuck out between his lips. Really, he didn't look at all like an agent.

"Violent Crimes Task Force." The lies rolled easily off his tongue. "I just happened to be in the area and Rainman here called me up and asked me to take a look around and see if I could find your missing girl. I just happened to get a bit lucky."

Now it wasn't just Emily that was scowling at him; Spencer was as well. He pushed a wing out, knocking it into his brother's. Rainman? _Rainman_? That was a reference Spencer actually understood. He'd looked it up once when people had kept calling him that. It was one of his least favorite nicknames and, judging by the smirk on Gabriel's lips, his little brother knew that. Hell, it was probably the whole reason that he'd used it.

"We can discuss this inside." Aaron interjected. "There's a lot that needs done."

That was an understatement. While they may have had Emily back, they still had to find out what was going on and actually _catch_ Doyle. And they had to make a case against him.

When the group started to move into the building, Spencer wasn't the least bit surprised that Gabriel fell into step beside him. The other archangel leaned in close enough that their arms brushed. Then his voice came in soft and easy through to Spencer's mind. _I know where Doyle is and it'd be pretty easy to bring him in, but I figured you guys still had to do all that important stuff to make a case against him._

 _We do_ , Spencer agreed.

 _I saw she shared some with you. Did you catch that bit about the boy—Declan_?

Spencer pressed against Gabriel's arm and gave a small nod. He had. And it changed things, quite a bit. _Right now he's still safe. Doyle has no idea. We'll get officers over there as quick as we can to make sure they stay that way._

* * *

Somehow they managed to get them all inside and into a private room rather quickly and with minimal dealing with the locals. Mostly Aaron did the introductions and then requested a private place to meet that they were quickly pointed towards. It didn't escape Spencer's notice that Ashely had been sent off for something. What, he didn't know, not bothering to eavesdrop on whatever Aaron said to her. What mattered was that Aaron got her away from them and then took the rest of them in towards the conference room they were apparently going to use here.

Spencer held himself together until then; he didn't say anything, didn't do anything. He just followed after Aaron and let the man lead them into the private room. Only when they were inside and the door shut – and a quick ward up to keep anyone from hearing them – did Spencer finally turn to Emily. In that moment he sort of forgot that Aaron was the leader of their group. With an air of command that surprised everyone else, Spencer moved in front of Emily and met her stare head on, his shoulders back and his spine straight.

"What you did was extremely foolish." He said. She started to protest and he cut her off with a shake of his head. "No. It was – you know it and we know it. You tried to handle this on your own and it almost got you killed."

"I couldn't let him hurt you."

"And you think we could let him hurt you?" Spencer shot back. "You're our friend, Emily. Our family. There's nothing we wouldn't do to help keep you safe."

From beside him, Gabriel chimed in his two cents. "Besides, you're forgetting the fact that you've got two archangels on your side." He grinned when she turned to look at him. "All it would take is a snap to get Ian Doyle trapped somewhere. Another snap to get a pile of evidence that would be enough to put him away."

"You want to fabricate evidence?" Derek asked.

"I never said it'd be fake evidence."

Spencer held a hand up towards Gabriel that silenced his brother. All of his focus was still on Emily at the moment. "I know you were doing what you thought was right, but you put yourself at risk to do it. If you'd just talked to us, a lot of this could've been avoided, Emily. I know life hasn't made it easy for you but I need you to trust us. We can help you. Can you trust us to do that?"

The room fell quiet as everyone stared at them. Fora long moment the two just stood there and looked at one another. After a long pause, Emily gave a sharp nod.

Spencer smiled warmly at her. Then he gestured towards a chair at the table. "Then I need you to tell us everything."

* * *

Telling them everything was easier said than done. It took a while for her story to come out. When she hesitated at one point, unsure, Spencer reached under to the table to take hold of her hand in a physical gesture of support that he didn't often give. Emily gave a soft squeeze in gratitude; then she began to tell them about the boy, Declan. The boy who was Ian's son. The one whose death she had faked for the sake of keeping him alive. The boy who was close and who she knew Ian would be after as soon as he found out.

If there was ever anything geared to get Gabriel up in arms it was the protection of children. It was no real surprise to Spencer that he volunteered to go and keep an eye on the boy. Spencer knew that he'd keep him safe.

That left the rest of them to deal with Doyle.

This was where Spencer knew things might get a little tricky. Because, he knew Aaron wanted to take care of this the regular way. He wanted to bring Doyle in the same way that they brought anyone else in. He wanted him captured and arrested and made to pay for his crimes in the legal way. Only, the more that Spencer listened, the more that he knew, deep down in his grace, that wasn't going to be enough.

There were only so many options here and Spencer knew already just what option he was going to have to pick. He knew what he'd have to do. Just as he knew the team wouldn't approve.

Spencer bided his time and listened to them plot and plan and gather all the information they could from Emily on where Ian might be.

When they finally let her up to get a drink was when Spencer made his move. He knew Aaron would be furious about this later if he ever found out the truth. This was the first time since Spencer had revealed himself and who he was that he was setting out to deliberately lie to his team.

To keep them all safe, he'd do what he had to, no matter what it took.

"Hotch." Spencer's low voice caught the Unit Chief's attention. When Aaron turned to look at him, Spencer lowered his voice and took a small step closer. "I'm going to go check in with Gabriel and make sure everything's okay. He'll want to know what's going on."

Aaron nodded his understanding. "Be safe about it."

A smile had the corners of Spencer's eyes crinkling. "Always."

Quietly, Spencer made his way out of the station. Once he was outside and away from people he relaxed his guard just slightly. A quick bit of grace shielded him from anyone's sight. That left him free to slump slightly for a moment, to close his eyes and draw in a pained breath. What he'd heard in Emily's story and seen playing in her mind made him ache straight through every inch of his grace. This man, he was a monster. Spencer knew he should be thinking of redemption. He should be thinking of saving the human's soul.

He wasn't.

When he opened his eyes he was steady once more. What he was about to do wasn't pleasant, it wasn't good, but it was right. This was right. Spencer held on to that conviction as he spread his wings and set out to ensure that his family and plenty of other families would be just a little bit safer tonight.

* * *

It only took an hour for Spencer to do what needed to be done. One hour and he was making his way back to the police station where his friends were. A brief prayer as Spencer landed in a private spot outside the station let Gabriel know that it was safe for him to return as well. The older archangel was still standing there smoothing his hands over his clothes and composing himself when Gabriel arrived at his side. All it took was one look at him for Gabriel's brow to furrow and for him to demand "What happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Spencer tried for nonchalant and knew that he'd failed it miserably.

Gabriel took a step closer and let their wings brush together. His hand lifted and came to rest on Spencer's bicep, a weight that was warm and comforting. "Feel, what did you do?"

There was a moment of quiet as the two archangels looked at one another. Spencer broke first, sighing softly and shaking his head. It wasn't like he'd planned on keeping this from Gabriel. From the others, yes. From Gabriel? Never. He didn't want the secrets and lies between them. "I did what I had to do." Spencer's wings lifted and then resettled behind him. "Ian Doyle won't bother us anymore. When they find him, it's going to look like he and one of his men argued. No one will ever know anything different." No one would know how carefully Spencer had staged the scene. How he'd done everything just so, laid it all out just right, to create the image that the two men had argued after Emily's escape and ended up killing one another.

"And your team?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"Will never know any better."

There was another moment of quiet. This time there were so many words being shared in that silence, though. The press of grace against grace shared thought and emotion both and the two shared so much of it as they stood there. When they both pulled back, they were smiling. "You did good, Feel." Gabriel told him. "I know it might not feel like it, but trust me – you did good."

"I don't like taking life, Gabriel."

"I know. But I also know that sometimes, it's what's necessary. Sometimes there aren't other answers." Rubbing at Spencer's arm, he smiled and then took a step back. "Come on, bro. Let's go in and help these guys make their case. Maybe then we can get our flock home."

Home. That sounded wonderful. Spencer was more than ready to get them all home.

With his brother at his side, he headed inside.


End file.
